At your service
by zel-chan
Summary: Yuuri ends up in another dimension that looks like the past. He'll have to find a way to come back to his place and time, and survive this ordeal, as a servant! The maids just keep betting, Yosak sucks at spying, and Huber is being an ass! GwenYuuCon!
1. How it all began

**At your service**

**A.N.:** many ideas for KKM fics recently, most specifically with an older version of Yuuri…

**Disclaimer**: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

Also, I'm still unsure as to which pairing this fic will lead to, I intended a GwenYuu, but my recent addiction to ConYuu might affect this fic a bit too much…

Such a hard choice…maybe your reviews will help a bit! ^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: How it all began<strong>

"Shibuya!" the great sage's call resounded within the walls of Blood Pledge castle.

The call made the concerned Demon King lift his heavy head from its uncomfortable position, as he could finally tear his eyes away from the evils of paperwork, without being on the receiving end of his dark haired councilor's ever deeper angered glare. Although Gwendal had stopped scarring him shitless every time he so much as saw him walking from afar, he still felt relatively uneasy, every time the older male glared at him directly. Ever since he knew of his softer side: the cute and children loving side; he couldn't seem to consider the blue eyed man as a 'scary type' of man, and most of the time he felt guilty whenever an angry glare was directed at him. And today had been especially hard, since he had avoided the paperwork with such passion the days before, now the piles of papers were literally littering the ground. And he knew Gwendal must have had tried his best at keeping the invasion in check… He had therefore been the source of never ending work and headaches to the man in the past few days (actually months would be more like it, but Yuuri didn't know it went to that extend).

It's not like he did it on purpose though… He had just wanted to take care of the upcoming baseball tournament in Shin Makoku, and play a bit with his favorite knight in shinning armor. He had just finished his university yearly exams on earth too! So he had considered that he had seen way enough paper for the next few months. But now he suffered both his lack of better judgment, and the terrible guilt at the many glares he was, not so subtly, given.

Said general was now eyeing the door to his study, instead of his king, expecting it to burst at any moment to reveal the usual noisy tribe that constantly followed this peculiar sort of cry. He only sparred one last tentative glance at his king, briefly wondering if he had the time to ask for his leave before the inevitable chaos erupted. Seeing how his king had been especially compliant today, he might have a chance.

Unfortunately, just as Yuuri finally saw that he was, again, on the receiving end of his stare, the door finally burst open, revealing an unusually serious double black.

"Shibuya!" he repeated, in a softer tone now that his target was in sight.

"I heard you the firsts hundreds times… What's the matter now?" the king calmly answered. In the six years (earthly time), he had been king in Shin Makoku, he had learned at least some restrain. Besides, this kind of panic was much too usual (might he say daily), so he had finally taken the hang on keeping himself in check, at least for the firsts few minutes of panic, to his caretakers' infinite relief…for the _firsts few minutes_…

"It's terrible!" Murata added, trying to make his friend tick.

"I could have guessed…" Yuuri agreed easily, he still had to know what the problem was, but his old friend's nasal voice was really getting on his nerves, and on his ears, which hadn't heard much of anything apart from rustling paper, flying birds, bone tribe representatives and far off huffs from the training grounds, for most of the day.

Gwendal himself impatiently rubbed his temples as his seemingly ever present headache worsened. Idly he hoped that the Great Sage could had been as difficult as their king when he was proposed Shinou's blessing to live a Mazoku life time… At least if he had taken as long as Yuuri to accept it, a twenty years old great sage might have sounded a little less annoying than a sixteen looking years old brat…

Oh, How he had wished things were reversed! That way the cute Yuuri would have remained for a longer time, and his little brother wouldn't have whined so much about his fiancé growing like a mere human… AND the great sage wouldn't look so unreliable and sound so bratty…. Shinou was too cruel…

Though everything wasn't so bad: the king _had grown_ into a remarkably _good looking_ man… Even if, at the very least, as the king's fiancé's brother, he shouldn't be thinking of the young man's physique so inappropriately; but his majesty truly was…gorgeous. To the point where he wished Wolfram hadn't coerced the king into letting his deep black hair grow; now it went easily past his shoulders, about as long as the general's own hair length. The long hair truly suited him. And he wasn't even talking about the Maoh's dignified deep inky black colored hair and eyes… It looked as if the Maoh's hair and eyes _darkened_ with time: before, one could still easily see shadows brought by the sun within the black mane and the detailed shades of very dark grey in his eyes; now the older looking Maoh had hair and eyes so _black_ that it literally absorbed any light that came in contact with it. The soft and silky stands were threads of blackness, pure tendrils of oblivion to anyone who tried to detail them, and his eyes looked like they had been drawn in ink, the irises the same color as the pupil and as the long and delicate lashes; even the Great Sage had compared this to earth's old Japanese paintings in black ink, seemingly, their Maoh was art by himself.

"Ah~ha… You're so cold today Shibuya! Anyway, Ulrike saw a grave disturbance happening near Tartarus' barrier." He said.

"Ta-rue-ta-russe? Is it French? What kind of barrier?" the king asked confused. On the other hand his general sounded distressed.

"Tatarus? You mean that this old legend about Hell's gate is actually true?" the older man asked.

"Hell's gate? Wait, wait, wait! Tartar didn't sound quite as unfriendly!" Yuuri finally started to panic at the ominous definition.

"That name might be a bit over the edge… And it's not actually the gate that is being troublesome…not now anyway. It's just one of the surrounding areas that started acting up: I think someone or something might have attempted getting in (or out)." Murata explained as though he made perfect sense.

"Could someone, anyone, pour some light, I mean _real light_ on this situation? For me?" Yuuri complained, trying to pull out some cute face for Gwendal to answer, unexpectedly someone else was his savior.

"Tartarus, in the legends, was a door leading to the underworld. The surrounding areas are said to have sucked up its demonic energy long ago, to lead mortals to terrifying lands of death and destruction, from which none could come back… This legend is often used to scare children, your majesty." Conrad who had suddenly appeared by the door helpfully replied. Gwendal sent him the usual glare, the one he had created especially for his troublesome brother: to keep him from abducting the king from his paper filling duties.

"And you're telling me that this sort of frightening place exists? IN Shin Makoku? Why would ANYONE ever want to set foot near such a dangerous area anyway? And it's _YUURI_, Nazukeoya!" Yuuri cried, afraid that he knew exactly what his black haired friend had in stock for him.

"Well… I'm sure some people might go thinking that they could, maybe, steal a bit of that terrifying power. But I'm more afraid of the possibility of the seal around these grounds weakening." The Great Sage explained, completely ignoring and cutting off Conrad's own playful call of "Yuu~ri".

"Don't tell me you intend on doing the same as with those boxes!" Gwendal exploded, definitely not looking forward to another near death and world's end experience.

"No, no, no! Ahah! Nothing like that! All we need would be a bit of Shibuya's power, to reseal the area. Luckily we should be able to do this without removing the old one prior." Murata explained the situation, which didn't seem to content his king in the last.

"You don't mean… That we have to go to this place… This scary place! Full of monsters and weird stuff…" the king began as he imagined all sorts of horrors surrounding the ominous landscape that had formed in his mind's eye.

"What are you imagining Shibuya…?" the Sage sighed.

"Can it really be so easy?" Conrad mused; worried about his king's safety. Although his vision of the unknown place wasn't quite as ominous as Yuuri's, it was still filled with terrible dangers for his innocent charge.

"At best, Shibuya's control over his maryoku should be enough. You made enough progress to completely suppress the need for your 'Maoh mode' now." Murata encouraged the two dubious men.

"_At best_, you say?" Gwendal, ever the compliant one, underlined the weak point in the sage's speech.

Said sage winced noticeably at the accusation. He had almost forgotten that the general was near as much of a worry wart as the faithful brown haired soldier. At least, he sighed, the silver haired wailing ball was still depressing over the fact that his dear king wouldn't be able to assist to his lessons today either, because of Gwendal's express demand for the king to do his paperwork.

"Yessss… You heard right… But don't worry!" he quickly added as three dark, death glares were suddenly directed at his small person. "A-at worst… I might just have to pump a bit of my own maryoku into Shibuya to help completing the seal! I swear it's really not as dangerous as it sounds!" he reassured.

"Really…? I guess we should get ready then…" Yuuri sighed, defeated and knowing he would have to meet his fate… eventually. He unhappily realized that he'd probably have even more paperwork to do when he got back, and a probably an even grumpier councilor… To think he had finally managed to get himself to work, he had even gotten to a good working pace, deeply immersed within the many minor problems experienced by his people, mostly noisy nobles who liked to complain about the most unimportant things…and a few farmers with land delimitation troubles… And now, maybe for the first time in his short life, he was given an opportunity to get out of evil paperwork that he didn't want to accept!

"I will prepare the proper accommodations then. When do we leave?" Conrad asked.

"Tomorrow morning would be good." the Great Sage answered.

"Damn… I'll have to tell Wolfram…" Yuuri complained.

"He'll probably insist on going with you, your majesty." The brown haired soldier pointed out.

"That's the whole problem, Dear lord Weller…" the said king mocked. Calling Conrad through this title usually brought the knight an unstoppable twitch to his eyebrow, and a frown that could perfectly match his older brother's. Fun, though much scarier than seeing Gwendal's stare: even Wolfram had hid behind him the first time he had witnessed his half-blooded brother imitating his dear and respected "Big Borther".

"I'll come as well then." Gwendal suddenly cut in, cutting off Conrad's usual "Yuu~ri".

"You will? Then could you help Conrad with the preparations? Murata and I will prepare our own stuff. And Murata, I'll need you to explain this sealing process to me." Yuuri said before getting up from his chair and walking up to his friend, now that he was towering over the 'great sage', he liked to subtly insist on their, only apparent, age difference.

"We can do that while we travel: it should take a few days to get there anyway." Murata explained, straining his neck to look up at his black haired and black eyed, 21 years old king. Although Yuuri wasn't _overly_ tall, one might even point out that he was still rather _small_, actually smaller than Conrad or Yosak, one could guess he at least enjoyed the little time when his best friend and Sage was still _shorter _than him…

"I'm not locking myself up in some cramped carriage with, probably both you and Wolfram, for _days_ of travel! If you can't explain everything within this evening, at least give me an introduction or something! And compact the rest for tomorrow would you?" Yuuri complained as he passed the door, holding his friend's arm in a firm grip, praying that the important conversation could be used to woo off his insistent fiancé should he meet him in the halls.

"You getting into university definitely got _my_ work more complicated! Who would have thought, that there would be a time when, _Shibuya Yuuri _would be asking for a_ formal report_? But oh, well… I guess I could explain the basics… It should be simple enough. Your usual originality should do the rest once we're there…" the sage finally gave in.

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><p>By the following morning, a sleep deprived young monarch appeared, followed by his fierce, angry looking fiancé, into the crowded courtyard. Their departure was planned early morning, as their king usually didn't have much difficulty in waking up early, but Conrad silently worried about his charge's current state.<p>

"Rough night?" he half joked as Yuuri stubbornly chose to mount his horse instead of going into the carriage, which was already occupied by the Great Sage.

"I'll be better in a moment…" the king assured. "It's just Wolfram having a fit for _hours_ on end last night because of this trip…" he cringed as said fiancé mounted his own horse and came close to the king, angry resolve set on his delicate 17 years old like features.

And although Wolfram had grown a bit in the last six years (the equivalence of one human year), he was now a child next to Yuuri. His mood even worse knowing his fiancé had accepted to live as a Demon, only three months ago…using his own powers (and not Shinou's) to extend his lifetime. He considered that if Yuuri had planned on accepting his fate, he should have done so earlier!

But Yuuri had wanted to age a bit, so he could at least look _fatherly_ for his daughter, and continue his studies without too much trouble (if he remained at 16 for almost the whole time he'd had to spend in university, it might have caused some unwanted attention).

"What are you whispering behind my back, wimp? If you think I'm going to accept you gallivanting, with my own half-breed brother at that, you've got it coming!" the blond yelled into his face.

"G-galivanting? Where and when did you see me do such a thing?" the king cried, he was used to the other's false accusations, but generally he didn't go to such a high level of insults before noon…

"Right NOW! Don't play _stupid_ with ME!" Wolfram yelled again.

"Wolfram! Keep it down! We have a long journey ahead and I don't feel like hearing your complaints!" Gwendal suddenly cut in, before someone, most probably either the Maoh or his faithful protector, decided to shut his youngest brother's trap, possibly with a much harder comment.

"But, Brother!" the young noble tried another complain, only to be cut off by the dark grey haired demon shaking his head disapprovingly.

Deflated, the blond prince still managed an indignant huff at his betrothed before he chose to follow closely the carriage's departure.

Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief and threw the deep sapphire eyed man a grateful smile. For now, it'd probably be better if he kept close to his reassuring presence, Gwendal being the only one who had the ability to efficiently shut the blonde's trap.

"I have a bad feeling about all this…" Yuuri mused, as one could easily take this 'marvelous' morning call a bad omen.

And the Maoh really wished those _birds_ would stop agreeing with his somber thoughts.

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><p>The journey to the "cursed lands" as Yuuri had so optimistically renamed them, took only two days and a half; which was much faster than what they had expected. Luckily the Great Sage had managed to keep Wolfram's attention from the king who had been suffering the blond's permanent glare.<p>

Yuuri sighed deeply, calming his nerves. He just finished his hair preparation so he could wear the wig (with longer hair now). It turned his hair into the same old reddish brown and it was still better than most of his tries at dyeing his long hair, but putting all this hair length back, then up and flattening so one wouldn't see the very black strands under the wig, was a very _troublesome_ job. The only real advantage was that it could stay in place much more efficiently (with the pins). Also the wig was more water resistant than most of the dyes his retainers allowed near his royal head. He also still had to wear the 'dragon scales' to hide his black irises, those "lens" were still terribly itchy and hard to put on by himself. He felt so lucky to have Conrad to help him with that still…

"Oi! Wimp, we're going ahead, so you don't trip! You better not get any funny ideas while I'm gone!" the king's fiancé yelled as he rode into the forest that apparently hid "Hell's gate" and all of the surrounding "areas" that Murata had been talking about.

"Really, frowning like that, he's going to end up like Lord von Voltaire before you know it!" Murata joked as he went up to his king, oblivious of the fact that said "lord von Voltaire" had perfectly heard him and was now creating a new wrinkle in between his brows.

"It would be so much easier on me if he _did_ become like Gwendal…" the Maoh whispered, thinking of how he would have preferred his_ fiancé_ to have been responsible, calm, and most of all, non-headache inducing… His best friend on the other hand, gave him a strange look which he couldn't quite decipher.

"Your majesty, will we need to do something concerning the replacement of the seal?" Conrad asked, as he suddenly appeared next to his king.

"It's _Y__uu__ri_! And, I don't think so. Just watch out for anything unexpected: I won't be able to concentrate on much of anything aside from the seal, from what I could tell with Murata's explanations…" the king calmly replied, as if the sudden appearance hadn't surprised him at all.

"Very well, Yu~-" the brown haired soldier began.

"Your majesty! We found the place!" Yosak suddenly came up, unconsciously cutting off the half breed demon.

"Show us the way then." The king immediately replied, leaving his most faithful knight and his double black friend behind.

'I'm starting to think it's a plot…' Conrad angrily thought, and seeing the Great Sage's amused smile, he couldn't help but glare at the younger man, efficiently making him cover away.

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><p>"So this is the place?" Yuuri asked, a bit surprised to see that the clearing didn't look especially threatening.<p>

"It's your imagination that's overworked." Murata laughed.

"hmmm… So I just need to concentrate and imagine a barrier surrounding the area? Even using Maryoku, this seems really easy…" the king mused as he readied himself nonetheless.

'Too easy…' the three brothers instantly thought: it was impossible for something involving _Yuuri_ to be _that_ easy…

"That's the main idea. It should still take a few hours to make, but as long as nothing perturbs your focus _or_ the concerned area, it _should_ be _fine_." The Great Sage answered. "I'll be your back up." He added.

"Let's all hope…" Conrad sighed.

"Let's…" Gwendal agreed. "And keep your eyes wide open!" the tall demon reminded a little louder, for all of them.

Once all of them where ready, Yuuri began calling forth his power, to seal away the presumably terrifying place named "Tartarus".

The three brothers were tense, even Wolfram, for all his harsh words, he still deeply cared for his king, as it really was just his couple's frail balance that bothered him.

The blond noble didn't even know where he should stand now. It seemed like his fiancé would never fall for him, it had been six years, but no improvement at all. Worse so, it was almost as if Yuuri simply ignored his presence, accepting him in his bed, like he would a cat; going on whatever date his fiancé asked for, only accompanying… He could force Yuuri into things, like not cutting his hair, or eating a few of his preparations… But the blond prince was now sure he really shouldn't coerce anyone for a kiss, ever again…

Wolfram tightened his grip on his sword at the memory, so deep in thought he missed the slight movement at the other end of the clearing. When he finally noticed the figure standing in the middle, it was too late to stop the chain reaction.

"What the-? Who are YOU!" he yelled, making his two brothers tear their eyes away from the sides they were guarding.

"When did this get there?" Gwendal raged as he turned to face the 'person', at least he guessed it was a person, but since it was well covered with a dark brown hooded cape he couldn't determine its gender.

"A normal human shouldn't be able to get in there…" Murata said, making the brothers grip their swords tensely, while the redheaded half demon spy tried to determine if the figure was a lone one.

"What's happening?" the king asked as he kept his eyes closed for better focus.

"Don't worry about it, Shibuya. Just keep your focus and _don't_ think of anything else…" the Sage warned, which was answered with a slight nod.

And the young king tried, really he did. But the voices, the cries all around him made the task definitely more difficult. In his mind eye, the barrier began to falter, his vision blurred, finally it seemed like little white flashes were appearing at the edges.

He tried to tell Murata, but he found that he couldn't breath, and therefore, couldn't voice his troubles. He tried to move, to grasp at someone, anyone, but his body wouldn't move. Finally he felt the ground under him slowly disappear, and he fell through, unable to fight, and with no one to catch him.

His heart ached, his head went light. He could still hear the voices around, the various calls that all seemed to ignore his silent suffering and fall. Finally he willed himself to open his eyes, although it felt like every single nerve in his body was dead. The instant his eyes opened, intense pain flowed through them, burning, eating away and throwing horrific images into his brain: faces of death, visions of destruction, decay, war, murder, things that had been swallowed by "Tartarus" and were now thrown at him.

He wanted to cry out, he wanted saving, and he wanted to save,…but nothing came. Instead he did the only thing he was still capable of doing as he kept on falling within the endless dark abyss: he closed his eyes again.

And everything tuned into nothingness…

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><p>On the outside, the king's body slowly fell backward. Gwendal who had been the closest to him, caught the limp body, his eyes showing clear confusion and fright.<p>

"Yuuri!" he screamed at the unconscious body, efficiently catching the attention of the others.

"Shibuya?" Murata echoed, unable to explain the sudden turn about.

Conrad crisped his jaw to the point his teeth were close to breaking, doing his best not to show his own worry. Settling for an angered mask, he threw all his hate and spite in the direction he knew the strange figure was, ready to run the thing through with his sword should anything bad had happened to his king. However, his gaze only met the sun warmed greenery of the clearing, no cloaked figure, no potential danger. Only the mocking calmness, in which his king limply laid in his brother's arms, the only testimony that something did happen…

"Damn it! Where is he?" Yosak stole the words from his captain's mouth, spitting them angrily.

"Could it be…? I didn't see that coming… This is bad." The Great Sage whispered, doing nothing to ease the feeling of dread that tightened the soldiers' guts.

"What's going on? What about him?" the grey haired demon raged as he slowly brought his monarch's body down to settle him in a more comfortable position, making sure that the youth was still alive at the same time as he could search for the weak pulse once the king rested more on the ground than on him.

"My guess would be that, what we just saw wasn't human… It was a tangible form, born from the excess of energy the "hell's gate's" produced. It probably appeared because of the seal's weakening and redoing…" the double black explained.

"What about Yuuri?" Wolfram finally breathed, not tearing his eyes away from his unconscious fiancé, but not daring to get close.

"He… was probably absorbed by this place…" Murata guiltily answered, facing down, unable to face the terrified stares he was given. It was _his_ fault after all. _He_ was the one supposed to prevent this kind of things. But _he_ had been too confident, and hadn't been able to foresee this happening.

"What do you mean absorbed? The kid's still here isn't he? Wha-what's goin' to happen to him…?" Yosak screamed at the Sage. Forgetting his own place, he griped the double black by the collar of his uniform, unable to stand the whole "peacefulness" of this place, not with his kid king laying like he was dead, half on the ground, half on the disaster faced general.

"Think of it like when he was absorbed into the demon mirror to the past: his body's here, his mind's elsewhere. All we can do is hope that he'll find his own way out before the end of the month…" Murata said, his tone dark.

"The end of the month?" Conrad echoed, his voice at the edge of cracking, as if he was close to breaking down himself, even if his face didn't show it.

"My own assumption of how long his maryoku/demonic energy can sustain the link between his original body and his soul…it's not as simple and sure as the demon mirror: that place he was absorbed into, I don't know what it is, or what Shibuya will encounter there…" the Great Sage explained.

"The link?" Wolfram whispered, not even bothering to hide the small tears that unwillingly gathered at the corners of his eyes.

"Yes. The Link. If the link breaks… Strictly speaking, he won't be able to wake up or return from that place….ever again." He dropped the bomb he knew, though he couldn't bring himself to speak the "d" word…not when it concerned his best friend's fate. Especially when he knew they were all completely powerless to change it.

"Yuuri! Yuuri is…he's going to-" Wolfram began, freely crying now. "It my fault! I-if I had seen that thing earlier…if I had-" the blond chocked on his tears now.

"It's no use thinking about these things! We should go back to the castle! Have the king rest…properly. And think. And ask Shinou for a possible solution!" Gwendal ordered around, not bearing the sight of his brothers in such a pain. The weight in his arms being the other reason: the defenseless body he had been unwillingly trusted with. As if the king's unfortunate fall had designed him as his caretaker. The feeling only intensified with the Sage's next words.

"We can't move him too far. Just in case, for lack of better information, we should stay here, put the tents up and wait. I'll go back and ask Shinou. Wolfram should go back to the castle as well: he needs to call forth Gisela, maybe inform Gunter about holding out for a bit longer and take care of the place while longer, and most of all, tell Greta." Murata uneasily pointed out, shivering slightly, sorry for the man who'd feel the young adolescent princess' wrath and pain when she learned that something unfortunate had happened to her dear "father"…

The little girl took after Anissina's personality, more and more, each and every day… Fortunately Gwendal had managed to get appreciated by Greta enough that she didn't bother him too much… Contrary to Yosak, the Sage guessed, as the spy gave a shudder so strong he loosened his grip on the black collar. Conrad was in the same boat as his old friend though, as Anissina's pendant, the young human was more inclined to _experimenting_ on half humans rather than on demons...

Experimenting and _questioning_, Murata reminded himself as his late try to answer the young girl's question about "baby making" had almost killed him the second Yuuri heard his, maybe a little crude, description from _across the whole castle_! The guy just had that kind of hearing for when it concerned his cute daughter's well being. And a damn straight _terrifying_ murderous face…a face he was pretty sure had never been shown to the last Big Shimaron's king (or else they'd be at the Maoh's feet, imploring grace).

"I'll tell Greta…I also need to take care of a few other things…" Wolfram said, lifting the invisible weight off both half-demon men.

"Alright. Let's get moving then…" the redhead spy ordered the remaining soldiers who had politely kept a blank face on, though they were probably just as stressed out as some of them, Dorcas, for example, was having an especially hard time with keeping his cool.

Behind the small commotion brought by the new order, the tall, dark blue eyed demon finally accepted his fate as he delicately placed the limp, thin body comfortably in his arms. Although the king probably couldn't feel how he was laid, given his current state, he still felt like he should be careful. The grumpy looking man thought that this feeling might just come from the fact that his king had a tendency to look exceptionally, and deceivably, frail and delicate…

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><p><strong>A.N.** As stated previously, I'm still unsure about the pairing (though there _definitely_ won't be any Yuuram or GxG, sorry for the fans of the genre, but that's final! I have…certain plans, for Gunter and others… (as secondary pairings)).

Anyway, reviews are loved! Feel free to inspire me, point out mistakes (English isn't my mother language), tell me if you'd prefer a GwenYuu or ConYuu or GwenYuuCon (saying that one out loud might be fun XD).

**And now for a little kit kat break** (I love doing those at the end of a chapter ^^)

What actually happens when Murata gets on the Maoh's bad side.

**Greta:** Say, MuraMura! How are babies born? Papa Yuuri tried to explain me, be he kept stuttering so much I couldn't understand a thing! And Papa Wolfram was just complaining about the fact that papa Yuuri refused to bear any of his children…

**Murata:** *looks nervously around* W-well, you see… Ah, maybe Conra-

**Greta:** I already tried uncle Conrad, but he just smiled and said that he didn't know either! Though he was sweating quite a lot too, and papa Yuuri said he might be a bit sick at the moment so I shouldn't bother him with such questions…

**Murata:**(damn you lord Weller! Though I'm not surprised if Shibuya was there…) Well, what about Gwen-

**Greta:** I tried uncle Gwendal too! *annoyed* But he gave me a, weird looking but cute, plushy and said that he didn't have the time to!

**Murata:** Okay… then maybe Yosa-

**Greta:** Aren't you going to answer? *starts to glare menacingly, and very Anissinaishly*

**Murata:** I-I, Y-you see, I'm just trying to orientate you towards people that might be a bit more…knowledgeable in the matter…

**Greta:** Aren't you _The Great Sage_? *getting suspicious*

**Murata:** Ahahah… B-but, you see, as a great sage, I'm bound to the temple and have never been allowed to have any child! So I didn't push my knowledge in this sort of matter! (_please_ buy it!)

**Greta:** Oh, I see. But I already asked Yosak and he disappeared in a "pouf" like thing after telling me that he had to hurry to some sort of mission! And I asked the maids and they giggled and said that I should wait till I was a bit older! And all my friends know, but it'd be too embarrassing to ask them! And Grandma Cherry started asking me what type of boys I liked and then if I'd like to see them naked, and papa Wolfram and both my uncles took me away saying that I shouldn't listen to her lessons. And GunGun just started to bleed through his nose and say some stuff about papa Yuuri and "bounds" and "toys" and-

**Murata:** OK, OK, I GET IT! You can stop now… (I swear she's getting Yuuri's rambling habit! And doesn't it sound like I am the _last resort_? I'm kinda vexed, somehow… I even came _after_ Gunter!)

**Greta: **So?

**Murata:** (ok, so a little recognition first!) *looks around once more to assure himself that no one is here* Where are your papas Greta?

**Greta:** Hm? Papa Wolfram went out of the grounds to train his men, and papa Yuuri is by the entrance, playing baseball with uncle Conrad! Why?

**Murata: **(To ponder my survival chances! But I guess it's okay, Shibuya's at the other side of the castle! Plus they're out and we're inside!) All right Greta, but since your papas might not be too happy that they weren't the ones to tell you, you'll have to keep my words to yourself, alright?

**Greta:** *Getting excited* 'Kay!

**Murata: **Well, you see, when a papa and a mama, or in your case two papas, decide that they should get a child, or not decide in some other cases. For whatever reasons. Sometimes they just want one to try and mend up a breaking apart relationship, or just because they want an heir or something. Though most of the time it happens by accident. Well, anyway. Papa and mama, or papa and papa, have sex, papa puts some sticky thing into mama, or the other papa and then-

**Yuuri:** MUUU. RAAAAHHH. TAAAAAAAA! What ARE you TELLING MY DAUGHTER?

**Murata:** EEEP! S-shibuya-! Weren't you otherwise occupied with sir Weller? *sweats profusely*

**Yuuri:** I heard you from there! AND I'M GOING TO _MURDER_ YOU! Fuck the non-killing policy! I changed my mind! I'm gonna _choke you down_ with YOUR OWN GUTS! *evil, purely demonic glare*

And thus, Greta's question remained unanswered. And the Great Sage had to escape the king's wrath, hiding away in a cave for months with nothing but his "school uniform" on, as he didn't risk going back to the castle or temple to get anything else. He quickly learned the basics of being a cave hermit, and had great hopes for finding the answer to the great unanswered questions of the universe as he meditated by himself within the obscure depths. Though, he did find the company of a certain Yosak Gurrier during his travels, an unfortunate spy who had gone for a cave recognition "mission". And Sir Conrad Weller, who believed he was in need of some "cave cure" for his "sickness"…


	2. I'm in the past?

**At your service**

A.N.: New chap, you'll finally see what has happened to Yuuri! Poor thing. I'm still waiting to know your preferences on pairings!

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: I'm in the past?<strong>

Yuuri groaned as he slowly woke up on a hard and relatively unwelcoming surface. He hesitantly moved to lie on his stomach, afraid of the many pains that went up and down his limbs. Finally, he managed to lift himself up, using his arms.

'What the hell happened? Ugh! I'm all sore now… Hadn't happened in a while…' he thought as he finally managed to leave the hard ground, which happened to be regular, dry dirt.

Looking around, he tried to assess his surroundings. Realizing that he had been transported in some 'back alley', so most probably in a city, he tried to find a safe exit from the small alleyway. He internally noted that the walls were made of a texture that was definitely from Shin Makoku…unless he had fallen waayyy outside of Japan.

Finally, he found the end of the alleyway that lead to a rather large street. Once he was there, he realized that he knew the place rather well… Especially with Blood Pledge castle standing proudly at the end of the road.

'So I was just transported back here?' he wondered.

As he mused this however, he also noted that his town looked a bit different than what he remembered, just a little bit more run down, a bit less lively…

'How come I didn't see that? I'll have to talk to Gunter and Gwendal about those poor conditions! Really… We at least have enough reserves to take care of a little renovating, if we let those houses like that, the rain will start seeping inside them… and all the more paperwork for me.' He thought as he calmly made his way to the castle, his mind set on the next course of action, and completely forgetting the dreadful experience he had just endured.

The usual path to the castle looked relatively beaten, as if an army of horses had stampeded over it. Walking all the way to the castle entrance was therefore especially tedious, and he took some time getting there. He literally had to make a little 'dance' to make his way up, it was quite exhausting too…and dirtying. Plus, he was rather easy to spot doing this, as well as ridiculous.

Finally he could see the entrance guards, who were seemingly mocking him and his awkward climb up.

'Did I fall so low that my own soldiers would laugh at my face? Maybe Wolfram's right when he says I'm too soft… Whatever, I'll just let that one slide, I guess I really am being ridiculous…' he mentally sighed at his own demise.

"Well, well! Were do you think you're going like that little lad?" one of the guards snickered at him.

'What? Well, now, that was exceedingly rude!' he angrily thought, but couldn't voice it yet, as his breath was short from his little 'walk'.

"I'm going inside, of course! What sort of stupid question is that?" he finally managed.

"Oh yeah? 'Got an appointment maybe?" the other one mocked, completely undeterred by the previous reply.

"What?" Yuuri asked, confused at the two rude guards.

"Is something the matter?" a voice resounded from behind the two soldiers, to which they immediately straightened to attention.

"Sir!" they both said in perfect synchronization.

"Someone who wishes to enter the castle without obvious reasons!" the first one answered.

"What do you mean without _obvious reasons_?" the young Maoh raged, even if he was still disguised as a human, his men should be able to recognize him. But when the authoritative voice turned in an all too familiar, yet unfamiliar man, he suddenly understood…

"Hmm? Oh! Could it be that you're one of the new servants called here?" the man said sympathetically. The tall, young looking, and most of all, fierce looking Conrad replied.

A Conrad that definitely looked like that one time he had seen him when Shinou had sent his fifteen years old self to see Julia… A Conrad that Yuuri was sure wouldn't recognize him as his king…

'No way! Was I transported to the past again? But there was no ramen bowl involved! Is it because of those 'cursed lands'? I knew it! I knew it was going to end badly!' he internally panicked; on the outside he simply looked completely stunned.

"Are you?" the brown haired half-breed insisted.

"AH! Aaaaaaaaah… uh…ummmmmmm…. W-well…Y-yeah?" he finally let out, too panicked and confused to think of a better reply…or plan.

"Right… I guess you're a bit shy… Anyway, come on in." the brown haired man finally said, standing to the side as if to let him pass him. "You! Take him to the servants' chambers! You'll probably find someone there to tell you what to do." Cherry's second son had addressed a nearby soldier, luckily not one of the two goons who had welcomed him.

The designated low ranked soldier, surprised by the command, immediately straightened to make a salute, which also knocked off the buck of water he had been giving to a poor horse that obviously had just returned from intense training. With that, Yuuri could easily identify this clumsy guy as his ever faithful Dorcas. The poor guy would never change…

As the said soldier turned to him to see who would be his charge, the fake-red/brown haired youth couldn't help but smile gently at the man who tried to "discretely" put the buck back up with his foot…and failing miserably.

Behind him, the 'future king' couldn't help but hear the mean snickers from the other two guards.

"Tch, that guy's a shame! That kind of thing doesn't deserve to be called a 'demon'." One whispered to the other.

'The real shame is how scarred you are of saying such a thing in front of Conrad… Because you know he's stronger than you, the, oh so 'prideful demon'… Pathetic!' Yuuri raged, most of all, he didn't like how these men could insult so shamelessly his friends, his most faithful and trusted _friends_… though they weren't friends yet at that time… Anyway.

"Let's go!" the disguised double black said as he went to Dorcas, his 'guide' for the day it seemed.

Said soldier jumped a bit at being addressed to. Most of all, he felt suddenly shocked out of his little dreamland.

After all, the man before him was rather pretty, handsome even, he felt a bit jealous… he didn't see why such a beauty would become a mere servant…yet again, most people didn't understand why _he_ became a soldier…when he was such a clumsy wimp.

"T-the dormitory should be this way!" the, still haired, soldier stressfully replied as he directed the 'newbie' to the main entrance.

Yuuri resisted a laugh as the poor man bumped once into the door before concluding that he really should be opening those wood planks before trying to pass through.

"Thanks Conrad!" Yuuri yelled after the brown clad captain without thinking twice about his own words, and completely ignoring the fact that said man suddenly froze at the unexpected call of his name.

From the entrance, Conrad watched them, intrigued. Then, he saw Yosak trying to creep up (yes, creep) on him 'discretely', and failing miserably. He shot the redhead a nasty glare, telling him to stop his foolish behavior.

"Aww… And I was so close!" the blue eyed fox complained.

"Not even in your wildest dreams. You're not cut out to be a spy Yosak, so drop it!" The brown haired male deadpanned, feeling like being a bit unfriendly.

"Tche! You'll see, one day, I'll make you jump out of your own skin with my stealthy skillz! Anyway, you want something from me captain? That kid looked really impressed by you by the way!" he joked.

"He's hardly a kid… And he looks like he could be a half…" the other replied, he couldn't be sure, but the castle's maybe new acquisition didn't have any especially outstanding demon looks. Apart from his nearly golden eyes, though they looked more like clear brown, but one could never be too sure. All in all… his looks looked a bit…unfitting…strange… "He called me by name too…" he finally added to his long time friend.

"So? Maybe he's one of your fangirls/boys? With you here, more and more half-demons have started to appear. And you've got a lot of "fans", makes me jealous! _And _it's giving lord Briscella hives; it's quite entertaining by the way." He added, the mental image making the redhead smile, and the brown haired man frown.

"Until he decides to get rid of the source of his allergies… Anyway, we've got work to do." He answered, to get his old friend back on track.

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><p>All the while, Yuuri couldn't help but notice his 'guide' was getting more and more lost…<p>

"Ahhh. I was sure that the maids' rooms were this way…" Dorcas complained, embarrassed by his inability to orientate himself within the castle grounds.

"Could it be… that you're not yet used to the castle? Are you still…new?" the twenty-one years old man tried to guess, mostly to ease his stressed out guide, and himself. Unfortunately his voice seemed to crisp the other even more.

"I-I-I've been here f-for a y-year but… I'm sorry…" the demon trailed off.

"I see… Anyway, look: someone's coming! We can ask for directions." He pointed out, doing his very best not to worsen Dorcas' unease.

"O-oh… hm?" the soldier pondered as he looked in the direction the 'person' was supposed to come from. And he was immediately frozen on the spot, as he realized who exactly this was…

'Bad, this is _really_ BAD!' the unfortunate soldier thought, distressed.

Then the tall, dark, ominous, and most of all angrily frowning demon, first son of the current Maoh, finally came at their height. And the newbie soldier very obviously sank.

He wanted to stand straight and make a polite, and most of all necessary salute, but the mere presence of the man scared him out of his skin. The dark blue eyes settled on the two, accusing almost. Then the soldier thought he needed to turn to his charge, to reassure him, sure that the pure blooded demon noble would scare the youth even more; but he couldn't move, at least, not until the totally unexpected and overly confusing happened.

"What are you doing here? Soldiers are supposed to meet at the training grounds soon." The councilor quested as he eyed the young soldier, the other was obviously a half-breed or something, but he had never seen him. He swore if those low scums thought they could just turn the royal castle into a touristic attraction for their lovers, at times of war no less, he was going to break something. Though it would most probably be a knitting needle…from overuse…

"Ah, Hello! We were just a bit lost: you see I'm the new M-err…I mean servant! I was trying to find the maids' rooms, to get instructions, and this kind man said he'd help me… But the castle's just so big we got kinda lost!" Yuuri explained cheerfully, doing his best so his 'guide' wouldn't have too much trouble.

On the other hand the dark grey haired demon eyed the new addition carefully, as it was rare for anybody, especially new bodies, not to cower whenever he was around. After all, his frown always tended to scare those who came too close for comfort. However, this one seemed spectacularly immune to it.

"Hmph! Then get going. It's not here." He unsympathetically said.

"I think I could have guessed that by myself, thanks. Any clue on _where_ it is?" the disguised man replied, he at least knew that if Gwendal was ready to say that much, it meant the he wasn't either in any particular hurry (Anissina), nor did he had one of his terrible headaches he always claimed to get (which could be caused by an always increasing number of people within the castle…and outside the castle).

The general frowned at the impetuous new servant. No one, outside of Anissina and his own mother, ever dared to speak to him in such a laid back manner, mostly because they were scared of him. It confused him, threw him off his little balance, turned his world upside down.

All in all, he began to get extremely stressed.

He tried to bear the youth's stare with one of his own, looking deep into those strangely colored orbs until his own eyes felt stingy. Blinking, he remarked how they were _large_ and _round_ and somewhat-

Yuuri could see he'd get what he wanted when, finally, the general started avoiding his eyes and making the invisible knitting pattern with his hands. Undeniable proof that his ever improving 'determined glare', had yet again won the tall demon over. Though Murata tended to affirm that was just because he still looked kind of cute and childish when he did that one…

"Go down that hall, then turn left and exit right at the end of the corridor. Once outside you should see the building reserved for servants, the rooms are here." The grey haired male finally let out. He hurriedly left right after, but still did not miss the other's last words, which made him freeze.

"Ok! Thank you Gwendal!" the man to be Maoh, yet again cheerfully sang out, still unaware of what he was doing.

Dorcas himself, was just as struck to the ground, totally baffled as his temporary charge started going down the hall. The most impossible of impossible had happened, and right before his very eyes too: someone had had a relatively civil, and _calm_ _**conversation**_with _**Lord Von Voltaire**_**!**

"O-oï! Didn't you do this earlier too? It's **Lord Von Voltaire** and **Lord Weller**! Really! You'll get in trouble if you get too familiar! You're just a _servant,_ right? And _they_'re _N-O-B-L-E-S_!" Dorcas quickly amended at the overly joyful man he was supposed to lead.

"Woops! R-right… Sorry…" Yuuri looked back at the other sheepishly; quickly he tried to find an excuse that would explain his over familiarity to two of the most prominent political figures of the kingdom… "I just… from where I come from, it's not really a bit deal: people generally call one another by their first names, even if it's the first time you meet…" it could have hardly fallen _further _from the truth, but he hoped the naïve soldier had bough his story.

"Sounds like a very peaceful place! Why would you leave it to come here though? With the war and all… Won't your parents be worried?" the soldier inquired.

'Gotcha!' he first thought as the man had fallen for it. For the rest of his sentence though…he would have a harder time explaining _why_ he wasn't home.

"Well… it's a bit complicated you see… It's not like I _asked_ to be thrown here… And it's not like I could return to where I came from…" he trailed off, it was all true, but it's not like he could explain that he would be the Maoh in a bit more than twenty years maybe, and that he had just been thrown back into what seemed to be the past while he tried to seal off some piece of raw steak! (_Tartar__us_ he internally amended and _not_ "Tatar"…).

"Oh… Was it touched by the war too? You look like a half-breed… was your place close to the border? Ah, I'm sorry if I'm wrong-" Dorcas immediately cut himself off, there was a slight chance that the man before him _was_ a pure bred demon, as rather more _human_ looks could sometimes happen in the lower ranks of the populace. But accusing a demon of being a half…THAT wasn't something to be done!

"Hmm? Not really… And a half-breed, huh… Well, my father really_ is _a demon (well, mazoku but I'm trying not to put too much Japanese in here)… And my mom's a human so that makes me a half-breed; I'm not too used to being told though." He explained, most of all, he wanted to get _off_ the subject of his original place.

'Not too used to being called a half, except if you count Wolfram's persistence at calling me names and sometimes bringing it up whenever I stay with Conrad for a bit too long… Or when I make human friends… He really ought to grow up sometime soon!' the lens wearing male thought about the matter.

Seeing his charge in deep thought made Dorcas think that he might just have stepped over a delicate, possibly painful subject, so he dropped it. And as they finally reached the door to the outside, and if lucky, close to their goal, the disappearance of some redheaded spy went ignored.

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><p>"Hello!" Yuuri cheered as he finally made it to his destined place: the servant's dormitory.<p>

"Hi! Huh? Who are you?" a maid greeted back automatically, before noticing the new face, a rather handsome new face by the way…

"Apparently, he came to be a servant here. I was asked to bring him over there…" Dorcas explained as the red haired maid finally saw him.

"WHAT? And I'm sure you got lost again, didn't you? The interviews are already over!" the woman sighed, annoyed.

"Interviews?" the double black in disguise asked, confused.

"Yes, there was a bunch: since the Castle announced they needed new ones. Although it was a complete failure this time…" she said, then, suddenly, an idea struck her. "Wait a minute! Oh! And what's your name by the way?" she hurriedly asked.

"Huh? I'm Yuuri. Shibuya Yuuri Harafuku Fuuri." He answered automatically. Then it struck him: he had been so confused that he had completely forgotten the matter of names! No one knew him there, so he had completely over stepped politeness! If his mother ever heard of this…

"T-that's right! I didn't even tell you my name earlier!" he said as he turned back to Dorcas, once the maid he recognized as Lasagna left.

"Huh? Oh! I haven't either! Completely forgot, hehe, I guess I got a bit too comfy there, but it really seemed like we knew each other too… Maybe it's because of your way with being particularly familiar and all… Anyway, I'm Darcascos, Dorcas, for short, if you prefer!" the soldier babbled, to which Yuuri politely bowed before answering.

"Very well Dorcas, I'm Yuuri!" he smiled at the other's reddening face. "You should hurry though. Weren't you supposed to go training?" Yuuri added, smiling as Dorcas expectedly turned frantic.

"Shi-t! I gotta go! Sorry, Yuu, I hope I get to see ya later!" he yelled and ran away at the same time, which of course ended with a soldier to wall intimate moment…

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><p>"Yuuri!" Lasagna joyfully cried as she ran back to him after a whole hour of him standing idly in the middle of the hall.<p>

"I was almost worried of being completely forgotten." The disguised youth joked, smiling still as if all that was completely unimportant. There was no need to rush he thought, if he was here, he was here, and things wouldn't end good if he rushed.

Besides, the time he had waited for the maid to come back was used to think. And thinking had allowed him to see a possible solution: he'd just have to see Shinou. The pseudo-god would certainly help him. Seeing the second most annoying blond in the kingdom was a sure way to get somewhere, or nowhere…

In any case, he doubted he'd have much trouble getting an interview with him, he was probably already causing Ulrike's crystal ball an overload with his maryoku. 'Your majesty Shinou! There's some mutant star that appeared on my crystal! What should I do?': that was a very possible outcome…In Yuuri's thoughts at least.

"Oh no, I haven't forgotten you (not with a pretty face like that)! I talked about you to the cook, come on, your interview will begin now! By the way, I'm Lasagna!" she happily informed.

Although he had his doubts about the weird mutters that had stumbled in the middle of her speech, he managed to keep his smile in check. In the very least, an interview for a servant job could be a nice way to understand his own servants' minds. In any case, it could be a fun experience (so long as he knew he would only be subjected to it for a short period of time).

Interrupting his musings, she took a hold of his left arm (which he allowed since it wasn't his throwing one), and made the new man follow her through the many secret corridors that led servants to the kitchens.

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><p>The grand chief cook, most important personality to most servants, welcomed him with a critical eye, probably because of his dirty traveling gear… The disguised double black couldn't possibly explain that he had been through some sort of <em>jungle<em> before having to _climb_ the path to the castle.

"Hmph! Hardly something presentable! You'll have to change before even _dreaming_ of coming back inside my temple!" he raged, and the youth could do nothing but bow down in apology.

'Still, don't call me "something"! Did Gwendal do his classes here or something?' Yuuri thought still, as his first impression to the cook looked disturbingly like the first he had with the tall demon, only the setting seemed different…and the temple bit…and why did it look like Gwendal was everywhere now? Probably because his name was at the head of the betting pool, right above Conrad's, proudly displayed on the wall opposite to the fire, he hardly had time to wonder why that was though.

"But ya don't look like a bad lad, so I'll give you a chance! Over there!" he ordered, pointing to the real life mountain of dirtied dishes; and it wasn't like he needed to be told what his job would be from now on…

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><p>Washing and drying the dishes took him the longest time, luckily he managed to get into a good pace, and by about midnight, he had finished the impressive pile. He finally turned back to the cook, the maids long gone to wash the dirty laundry before they would allow themselves to rest. He faced him, very slowly, since his back was now positively killing him, and he was sure that a spoon more would break his spine.<p>

The cook gave a critical look at a few of his cleansed utensils, then the Maoh's glass (the one with an impressive lipstick mark) was also subjected to the close inspection. Finally, the relatively tall, quite fit, muscular even, blond man glanced back to him.

The king who was not king yet, fidgeted a bit from the wait, actually afraid the man would deem him unworthy and he would have to sleep on the street until he could go to the temple tomorrow, and certainly, the temple maidens wouldn't believe a hobo was their future king…

"Not bad, you actually took it seriously, HA! All the little noobies I had today thought they could get all high and mighty! Listen kid, the dishwashing is a great, important part of food making! Don't underestimate the power of its cleanliness! HA!" The cook enthusiastically yelled. Yuuri had soon learned that the man, when happy or motivated, started shouting nonsense things. Basically it meant the man liked him now…great.

"R-right… I guess having a clean plate IS important…" he answered, a bit impressed by the other's enthusiasm. Well,…it was true, an unclean plate could make people step back from their food, no matter what time and effort might have been put in it, because it would imply that the hygiene of the place wasn't good. On earth that hardly happened with the dishwashers (the ones that work with electricity…and not arms), and on his time in Shin Makoku, the few times where his plate hadn't been perfectly clean, he had either ignored it because he was starving and they had only managed it to the closest run down inn during one or another of their journey out of the castle grounds, or for whatever other occasion which wasn't calling for pickiness; if that wasn't the case, then his retainers would quickly threw the plate away, afraid of some nonexistent (at least he believed it was nonexistent) assassination attempt.

"Indeed! Very well then lad! I'll take you on my team, a new maiden for my temple! HA!" he joyfully proclaimed.

"Right, right, a new m- WHAT?" he yelled back at this, frankly, he hoped the man didn't think he was a girl, like it had happened many times before.

'If he asks me to wear a dress… Well… Actually, what would I do?' the Double black in disguise almost cried.

"Well, maybe not…" the cook looked him over again. "Bah! Whatever! Yer still innocent! I could bet it on my own eyes! Anyway, why don't you ask the others for clothes tomorrow? The fact that my temple must be spotless still stands!" he panned. "Any a way, there's some leftovers for you, eat good and go to sleep! I've got to take a look at the reserves, if guards come begging for crumbs, pummel them for me, would ya." He advised before leaving the large kitchen.

"I really hope they won't come then…" the young male complained to the empty room.

His eyes were itching terribly because of the lens and his head was because of the wig. And he couldn't scratch either. He truly hoped that he would find some way to take a bath alone so he could relax all these itches. He still gratefully dived for the offered food, his stomach complaining dearly at its unjust treatment.

He was already half through his plate when the kitchen door was opened violently.

Stupidly, spoon still stuffed in his mouth and all, he looked up at the person who just decided to step into one his little "peace time" of the day (they were getting rarer and rarer too). After a while, the king slowly got over the shock as the new figure seemed to impatiently wait for it to be acknowledged. He knew, because that stance and look had only been seen too many times for him to actually count… Swallowing his spoonful, he calmly got up from his seat.

"What can I do for you…" he began, then remembered Dorcas's advice on names and titles.

"What can I do for you, Lord von Biefield?"

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><p><strong>A.N.** Yay! Finished the second one!

Actually I have a few chapters almost ready, I just have to reread and re-reread them a few times to try and avoid too many mistakes.

Wolfram won't stay long: I don't like him… I might be cruel, but I really don't think that he's made for Yuuri, and he annoys me: always sticking his nose in the little ConYuu moments… (And his "so beautiful" role is also getting on my nerves! He's too childish, when I prefer the more "mature" men of KKM!)

Anyway! That's free to discuss!

And many thanks for the reviews

**Kit & Kat break?** (Gotta find another saying…)

What the maids are doing at the time (will probably the subject of other breaks as well)

**Lasagna:** Did you see? Did you see!

**Sangria:** So _cute!_

**Doria:** You mean _handsome_!

**Lasagna:** _Dashing_!

**Doria:** I can't believe it! It's like, a dream come true!

**Sangria:** *dramatic sigh* but to whom are we going to present him?

**Lasagna:** This calls for a special reunion! *spots Dorcas* Oï! Dorcas! Come over there!

**Dorcas:** W-what's wrong?

**Lasagna: **You were the one who brought him over right? That super sexy bod?

**Dorcas:** S-sex?

**Sangria:** How is he, what did he do, what did he say? Did he tell you his preferences?

**Doria:** Yeah! And how come you were the one who brought him?

**Dorcas:** Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! And _preferences_? Anyway. *explains everything that happened*

**Lasagna: **Lord Von Voltaire?

**Sangria:** Could it be! A sudden turn?

**Doria:** No, no, no, no, no! There was Sir Weller too! We have to give him his chances too! Don't you think they'd look cute together? They're both halfs too!

**Dorcas:** Yeah… But I really never saw someone _talk_ to Von Voltaire like this before! It was like, _natural_!

**Sangria:** What about Lord Wolfram von Biefield?

**Lasagna:** Nah! He's the black horse in that one! *sigh* Really Sangria, you always get the strangest ideas! You might as well think about lord Von Christ! When the man only likes rare looks: like black hair or eyes!

**Doria:** Wouldn't he look nice in all black?

**All:** *trying to imagine it* + *collective happy sigh*

**Sangria:** Even _cuter_!

**Doria:** Yeah, but he's a half, and double blacks no longer even _exist_!

**Lasagna:** No use thinking about it! Though, we'll get to chose his clothes! *evil glint*

**Dorcas:** Don't forget that black is strictly reserved to nobility!

**Lasagna:** I know, I know! Sheesh! Such a party pooper!

**Sangria:** There was that cute uniform!

**Doria: **You think he'd get mad if we told him we only had women clothes his size?

**Maids:** *plotting*

**Dorcas:** (I need to get out of that 'evil aura'!) *tries to sneak away*


	3. Life just keeps getting tougher

**At your service**

**A.N.:** Wow, thanks for all your reviews! ^^ It's nice to know when your story is liked by people!

As for the votes, for now I have:

GwenYuu: 1

ConYuu: 1

GwenYuuCon: **2**

People just _love_ to make things more complicated, don't they? Well, I guess I asked for it XD

You can keep voting, but not for too long: I already brought the draft to a situation where I'll have to choose a good way to make both Gwendal and Conrad get in a situation where they'll finally get to consider Yuuri in a new light (a sexual light XD), it's going slow until then, but eventually I'll have to get a use for this high rating ^^.

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Life just keeps getting tougher<strong>

The good thing with Wolfram was that, fiancé or not, the blond was always the same. Plus it wasn't like he had ever felt like being king when he was with Wolfram, so his sudden change of status didn't bring any awkward exchange.

'But seeing Wolfram like that again, it sure is nostalgic…' Yuuri mused as his fiancé's small changes over the last years seemed to appear only then.

The blond noble had been his usual fiery self, being an ass about the fact that he needed food prepared so he could leave tomorrow with his men. Obviously, Yuuri had been transported right in the middle of the war. Factions were sent back and forth to both chase humans and protect borders. People died. But Conrad was still here in the castle and not ready to go on any suicide mission…

He knew the war had been a decision Lady Cherry (or Cecile) had made because of her brother's pressure. And in a matter of minutes he had managed to learn that most war decisions were taken by either the Maoh, or the generals, mostly it was the Maoh's first son's job to take care of the tactical advance and defense, Gunter helped with that too…

That information alone was rather helpful to understand his "caretakers" better. But it was also rather embarrassing: to learn of such things without the others' agreement, he felt a bit like a voyeur.

Guilty of knowing something that was from the past, a past that no one wished to have back. He knew his retainers saw him like they did, and trusted him like they did, because he wasn't supposed to know or judge them from their pasts, simply because he wouldn't be able to know of it. And how did he learn of all this? From his future fiancé's rambling and complaints…

In any case, Wolfram's visit had been the last blow to his vitality, and he really wished the little lord and the cook would finish their talk, so he could go to bed, wherever that would be. He was still rather impressed by his employees' stamina: still working so late and answering noble's rather selfish demands…

"Vegetables are l-o-v-e! To fight with strength and passion, one needs varied dishes! You can't underestimate the power of a good nutrition my lord!" the cook cried, it was now pretty obvious that Cherry had _personally_ recommended the man, if just for his extreme love for his work and food…

"And I'm telling you, carrots and tomatoes are forbidden! There's no way you'll make me eat those things!" Wolfram yelled right back.

'Really, how can they both be so energetic this late in the night? And does Wolf even realizes how selfish, stupid and just plain ridiculous this argument is?' Yuuri wondered, impatient for the conversation to be done with.

Finally he couldn't stop the yawn from emerging and settled for catching small sleep right on the flour covered table.

* * *

><p>It was probably an hour or two later when he was awakened, from both the smell of freshly cooked food and the slight shake of his form.<p>

He slowly came to, realizing that the small movement was brought by the blond cook, who was trying to gently shake him awake. Blinking up to the man sleepily, he waited for an explanation as to why he was awoken from Morpheus's sweet embrace.

"Ya got a rough first day, go to bed. At least one of the maids is probably still up. They'll show you the men's dorm." The tall, blond male answered the silent question, with an unusual gentleness.

"mmmh, 'kay…" Yuuri sleepily replied as he got up from the chair and went to the door on automatic; with luck he'd find his way back to the servants' wing.

* * *

><p>After no less than five run into all sorts of objects, rating from the overlooked rock, left carelessly on the ground, to the very wall which seemed so hard to avoid in his semi sleeping state, Yuuri finally managed to find his way back to the chambers.<p>

There he surprised the maids who were suspiciously whispering among themselves, while a poor unfortunate Dorcas was trapped under their pressuring inquiries and desperately trying to escape. He barely spared a sleepy glance at the group, ready to voice his obvious need for a comfortable horizontal surface, before the redheaded maid that had helped him earlier decided to aid him.

"You look worn. 'Guess we'll leave the introductions for tomorrow. I'll show you to the men's quarters, Dorcas, you come too: we need someone to help lay the bed and linens." She ordered, and Yuuri couldn't have been happier for the help, because he really didn't feel capable of preparing his own bed.

The straightforward looking maid led the way to the said room, which happened to be right next door. On the floor, two sort of futons were already laid down, empty. One was perfectly made, in waiting, the other completely over turned.

Lasagna went to one of the cabinets, obviously the one where sheets were kept. She took out another 'futon', handing it to Dorcas immediately after. Then she took some sheets and a blanket.

"We'll put you next to Shamp'-san, since putting you next to Curry might be a little too rough: he's always fighting when he sleeps…" she explained before she directed Dorcas to put the new "bed" next to the well kept one.

'It's not like I wasn't used to sleeping next to wild animals…' the double black thought as he remembered Wolfram's sleeping habits. Slightly intrigued by the lack of people in the rather large room (putting him next to one or another didn't seem especially thought inducing as there was enough place to easily place the futons far apart), he decided to voice his curiosity, if only to keep himself from rubbing his lens wearing eyes.

"How come there're so few people? Your room was much more populated…" Yuuri asked as he blearily remembered the women's room's wooden floor almost entirely covered by the same sort of 'futons'.

"Well…" the redhead maid trailed, a rather sad look gracing her delicate features.

"Most men were either asked to enroll or just ran away in fear of being when the war began to get bad…" it was Dorcas who answered his question.

"I see…" he didn't really know what to answer to this, he understood that men were usually asked to be of service during times of war, but it made him uneasy because of his current situation: because there was nothing that he could do about it now.

"Shamp-san and Curry-san are the only ones who stayed and weren't asked to join the war. Shamp because he's our cook, Curry because he's kinda frail…" Lasagna explained.

"Shamp? The cook's name is Shamp?" the young to be king asked, surprised. The name did sound kind of strange. Though not as strange as the fact that he _didn't_ fight when he slept…somehow Yuuri thought that he would have been the type.

"Naw, the full name's Shamploo, weird huh? I'm not surprised he didn't tell you, usually he prefers to be called "master" or "chief", I think he doesn't really like his name…or he just likes being called by something superior." She laughed as she finished preparing his mattress.

"I see… Then what about this "Curry" person?" Next to the cook's name, Yuuri was much more used to the 'ingredient' names since they weren't rare within Shin Makoku.

"Curry takes care of few tasks, since he's a bit frail… He just brings tea, or brushes the Maoh's hair. Lady Cherry seems to appreciate his company…and she prefers it when pretty _men_ take care of her needs." Dorcas explained. "Anyway, I'm glad to see that you managed it today, Yuuri! We needed the help too!" he happily congratulated.

"_We _needed the help, Dorcas! _You_ need to stop snooping around! Even if you're like, the soldiers' _lackey_, you're still not allowed over there!" the redhead accused.

"WHAT? But you're the ones who asked me to come around! All because you wanted to know more about Yuu-" the unfortunate soldier was violently silenced up by the angered maid (the way she did it will remain unsaid as it is too violent and gruesome to be transcript, but it involved heels and 'delicate' man parts).

"Ahem! Sorry, I guess we'll let you catch some sleep, by the way, the servants baths are just by the end of the hall, right door is the men's, left one is the women's. Mr. Shamploo can use it about five times a day, because he's a neat freak, don't worry about it too much. I think Curry uses the Maoh's one…you know…since he takes care of her hair." she trailed off.

"I don't think I want to know the possible other reasons for that, but thanks…" Yuuri replied, silently extremely grateful for the detailed information: this way he could maybe find a way to hide his double blackness…

"Don't mention it! We know how men like their privacy!" she winked at him, and suddenly the youth didn't feel quite as thankful…

* * *

><p><strong>Back to the "normal" demonic land:<strong>

Gwendal glanced worriedly at his sleeping Maoh. It was night already, and the youth hadn't made the slightest move. He had taken it upon himself to look after the young king, while his youngest brother had gone back to the royal castle, and his other one was briefing the knights and guards on the best way to act around for the time being.

As an older brother he also realized that the sight of the unconscious, unmoving body was terribly worrying, too much for his brothers, just as it was too much for him. Yet, he stayed. Because he was the eldest, he was the one that should be bearing this, to spare his siblings.

Besides, it was also the only thing he could really do for them. From the day he was born, silently supporting was the only thing he had been allowed to do for his half-breed brother. Wolfram could stand for himself a bit more because of his noble status, though he was still a kid, so he needed guidance, but it irked him to know that he wasn't the best choice for that…

Maybe he should ask the Great Sage to talk to his youngest brother: since he seemed rather gifted to keep the blonde's attention, strangely…

The tall & dark demon tore his thoughts away from his brothers and his eyes away from the peaceful form of his Maoh, to return to his previous, less worrisome and stressing activity: knitting. This time it was supposed to be another cat, a black cat. Only the Maoh could have it of course. Finding truly black yarn had been rather hard, but he had wanted to do something more personal, more specific for the king, not like the kitten he had given him and which had been done before he had even thought of giving it to anyone.

Plus, he had seen the kitten lately, it seemed really worn out. Making him both happy to know that the youth would keep it around, and a little sad for the poor knitted kitten… Where had he seen it you ask? Well, the Great Sage had just taken it out of the king's stuff and put it right next to the unconscious body. Obviously it was a well known fact to anyone but him that the king liked the soft and small toy close to him when he slept. It was also what drove him to make a new one as he watched the other male sleep.

The kitten was a personal choice, simply because _Yuuri_ had that act, that aura around him at times, which always made him think of a cat or kitten.

Like how he would comically hide away from Gunter's hugs, slipping behind a wall and just poke his head out, as if no one would notice it, if it was just that little part of him that poked out. Or sometimes when, in the mornings, he'd find the double black rolled in a ball at the end of the royal bed, though it was mostly his youngest brother's sleeping habit's fault. There were also those rare times when, too tired to bear Wolfram's antics, he'd hide in small spaces to take a nap, sometimes it was on the couch of his office, certainly because he knew that his councilor never had the heart to wake him up in those moments, and that Wolfram wouldn't dare try to interrupt his brother's work for what he knew was nothing to worry about.

Even when the king played with either the princess or his half breed brother, seeing him run around excitedly made him think of an energetic kitten: baseball was the string, Conrad the one who held it teasingly.

There were also the few times when he prowled in the halls, because he had taken an important decision and he wanted to make it clear that he wouldn't back down from it. He'd look at his retainers with determinations, and sometimes, just to see it, Gwendal would stare angrily at the youth at the hardest of his ability, and the king would look like a ruffled cat, who tried to make himself look bigger. He could almost bet the black hair was truly puffing out.

And he'd rather NOT think of the time when Anissina had made that other strange contraption that looked disturbingly like cat ears and tried it on the monarch… It had looked so cute… The youth had been angry at him for abandoning him to his fate, but he really couldn't have afforded to suddenly have a 'Gunter mode' from looking at the double black for too long.

Just thinking back on it, Gwendal had to resist the urge to stop knitting and grab some tissues. If he willed it, the nosebleed would stay at bay.

Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by the tent's flap opening. The tents were large and well equipped as they hadn't been sure of their ability to find inns on their way to "Hell's gate" to begin with. The door had revealed the ever refreshed looking Conrad; he still smiled, trying, at least, to believe in his king.

"You should get some sleep Gwendal, I'll replace you." The brown haired soldier proposed.

"You're one to talk: have you even stopped to rest for a single minute today? You need sleep much more then I do. So sleep and don't come back with such indecent demands!" the elder brother scolded. Really, what would become of him if he still had to ground foolish little brothers to their rooms?

"I'm sorry…" the brown clad knight listlessly answered. Looking down at his dirtied boots, he finally looked like the desperate man that he truly was, worried for his king, his godson, his world, his everything.

But Conrad didn't move from his spot, staying, waiting, expecting maybe for his brother to accept his "foolish demands" if he looked miserable enough.

"Go to sleep. I'll watch over him. He needs you rested and well, not tired, ill and miserable. It's a shame to look at you right now, Conrad." He panned, doing his hardest not to give in to the urge to just hug and console his poor little brother.

"Let me sleep here?" the brown clad knight finally asked, he wasn't the type to make such demands, or insist when he was obviously getting the worried brother treatment, but now he couldn't even imagine what kind of nightmares sleep would bring him if he left like that.

Gwendal let go of an exceeded sigh. And gave in, heaving out a "do what you want" which made his younger sibling smile a bit. The well disciplined male sat down quickly, back against the side of the many layers of mattresses that formed the Maoh's "bed".

Gwendal really hated it when his brothers were taking advantage of his weaknesses and many "soft spots".

* * *

><p><strong>On to <strong>**"evil dimension", aka, where Yuuri is:**

Morning came much too fast for Yuuri. By force of habit, he still woke early, the sun just about to peak, if the eerie light that slowly crept inside the room was of any indication. It was soft and misty, the room a bit chilly as the night air hadn't been replaced by the heated morning summer sun.

The disguised Maoh rubbed his face from sleep, glad that he had been able to get his irritating lens off last night as no one had been around to ask anything. Though he guessed that he could always have tried to "explain his sight problems", the general excuse Conrad had taught him just in case.

Looking around he remarked that the cook, Shamploo, was back, in bed, sleeping very, _very_ loudly. But he was also used to that sort of thing with Wolfram's loud sleep talking.

It seemed that "Curry" the mysterious servant was also back, and he didn't look frail at all by the way… Though he looked a bit flushed, idly he wondered when those two had been back, and if that Curry guy had wondered who the "new guy" was.

Chasing the idle waking thoughts away he decided to begin the day with a nice, well deserved, cleansing session. So he went to leave the room as quietly as possible, not that the snores couldn't cover the sound of an earthquake…

Once out, he went in the directions that Lasagna had given him last night.

In the "bathroom", which was clearly Shin Makoku's version of the "bathhouses" in Japan, he was happy to find towels and other bathing supplies like soap and shampoo waiting for him. Or actually, whoever would come first, as they were shared supplies unless someone wanted to provide himself their own, which was probably Shamploo's case.

He managed to find a little spot from were he guessed he'd be hidden for long enough to put back on his wig should anyone decide to suddenly pop up. Once all his supplies were at arms length, he carefully took off the red brown wig. The case was a bit harder than he had expected though, as the "thing" was terribly entangled because he had to spend the nigh with it on.

At the price of many contortions and painful pulls on his own hair, the horridly beaten up wig finally came off.

'And my own hair is completely messed up… I wonder if I could cut my hair now and not be murdered by Wolfram once I come back…' the young man wondered, tested the idea in his head, but once he happened on the censored scenes replaying the horrid end of his life through third degree burns…he decided against the idea of cutting his hair.

'I guess they don't have anything like conditioner here…' he internally complained.

He took the longest time, trying to untangle his hair (and the wig), but fortunately no one stumbled into the bathroom while he was fighting with his very black mane.

Clean and refreshed, the Maoh in disguise silently enjoyed the solitude as he came upon his new problem: putting contacts on without the ever needed help of his godfather. He really, _really_ missed _his_ Conrad. The contacts stung and each time he tried to get them on, he'd automatically close his eyes. It was as though he could trust his knight, in no shining armor, more than himself…

'Conrad… I really wish you were there right now…' he internally cried.

After many tears and failures, the dragon scales were finally on. They itched as usual, especially since he had nothing to clean them correctly. He put back on his clothes, the less dirty ones, sighing in relief as no one had stumbled inside the bathroom while he was in there.

He barely had the time to think that when Shamploo all but jumped inside, right in front of the disbelieving and shocked youth, in all his glory no less.

"HA! Begin the day with the fresh start given by the sweet soap! But you've got to respect the cleanliness: and WEAR CLEAN CLOTHES FIRST THING AFTER THE BATH!" he yelled, as one would a warrior morning cry.

Yuuri being still a bit dumbfounded by the absolute nonsense and surprise, merely gaped for a while. Once he managed to get a slightly bit over his utter shock, he finally nodded meekly.

"I left you a few in the men's chambers, since the maids told me you didn't even bring your stuff over." The cook explained, looking at him with questioning eyes.

"Ah, well… I didn't really have anything I could bring… sorry." He apologized. It wasn't like he could have asked whatever brought him here if he could take his stuff along…he didn't even have Morgif with him.

"I see… Very well, we'll just ask someone to take your measurements: then we'll be able to make a few new clothes for ya! Wouldn't want to look like we were mistreating the new boy! HAHA! Anyway, GO! A new day is beginning, and I want you down in the kitchens and ready to work as soon as possible: breakfast will be soon!" he yelled, looking completely energized.

"O-ok… S-see you later then…." Yuuri stated, as he slowly backed away from the over excited, hyperactive guy, going around his large form to reach the door…very carefully.

* * *

><p>During the next few hours, he had gained a few new clothes, which didn't look very different than traveling clothes. The same near black (more like deep brown) underclothes and over that, a thigh long sleeveless jacket. The actual sleeves could be taken off, like usual they were tied to the "jacket" with small leather belts. The jacket and the pants were mostly white, except for the deep red linings.<p>

He couldn't help but feel strange wearing those, because they weren't as common as the ones he was usually given when he had to go out, but as a mere servant, black was to be avoided...It was a very unusual type of wear for him. Though, if he judged from the blushing and squealing maids, he shouldn't underestimate this sort of strange fashion sense. Shin Makoku was and would always remain, _strange_.

His current clothes were apparently handed to him by Curry, which was still resting in bed. To the obvious, though confusing, maids' disappointment. They had apparently wanted to have him try a few "clothes", though the many transparent, frilly, short, skimpy, indecent _things,_ hardly entered Yuuri's definition of "clothes".

He had, also fortunately, managed to convince the maids that he could _perfectly_ braid and tie his own hair. Though, he was mostly scared that they would realize that he wore a wig.

Then the slightly down (because they weren't allowed to do his hair), hyperactive women had taken his measurements, not without commenting on his _very nice_ proportions. He had never thought that he would be glad to be so ignorant of his employees' _personalities_.

Right after, it had been time to go to the kitchen, where he resumed his task of cleaning plates as they were handed, and when nothing was to be cleaned, he helped with pulling out plates for the maids.

Things went like that for a while and it seemed that lunch would come before he had time to breathe out. Fortunately, he did finish quite early.

"How am I supposed to go to the temple if I'm stuck here…" he silently whined.

"Are you still tired, Yuuri? You did wake up quite early…" the maid who had presented herself as Sangria stated.

"I also went to sleep earlier than any of you. I just wondered if… If I could go to town sometime…" he made up as he went, surely some of them could go to town at times, right?

"Town? Well, if you want supplies of any kind, you usually ask for the supplier staff: you give them a list and they go to town within the week!" she happily replied.

"You mean you _never_ go out?" the disguised double black asked, astonished.

"Hardly. You know, servants like us don't have time for vacations. If you get on someone's good side like Curry, you might get to accompany them outside sometimes. But once you set out to be a servant in the royal castle, you're meant to give your life to this. It's not so bad: a warm bed, a whole aisle for us, our very own bathhouse, free meals and we get a nice pay check! If you take care of your money, you can get really good stuff! Though you can't go out by yourself, the suppliers always have a very good eye to get you the best!" she explained, obviously delighted by that.

Yuuri thought it might be a bit sad, but the maids really looked like they were happy and contented like that… But that wasn't very good for his own plans…

'What am I supposed to do now? How am I supposed to see Shinou? Should I find another way? And if this doesn't work out, what will happen to me?' the stressful thoughts started to make him nauseous.

"If you want to see your family you can get a few days off though: you can if they have a special condition or if it's been a long time you haven't seen them!" Doria piped in.

"I see… I just wanted to know if I could go out. I mean, I've just passed through the town and I kinda hoped I'd get to see it more thoughtfully." He tried to give a possible explanation.

"I see, that's too bad…" the green haired maid replied, not really what he had wanted to hear…

"Anyway… what should we do now?" the youth gave up, accepting his fate, for now.

"If you could help us with the laundry: those soldiers are so dirty! They left us TONS of smelly uniforms! Ugh! Even their underwear…" Doria complained, which made Yuuri regret his helpful nature…

"What about Lord Weller uniform!" Sangria replied dreamily. Now, the double black really wished he could disappear before someone decided to explain the intricate, romantic smell, of Conrad's sweat, really!

"At least he doesn't look like the kind that rolls in dirt before handing out his clothes! I swear some of those guys are pigs!" Lasagna complained right as she entered the conversation.

"You should babble outside if you don't want to miss lunch time!" Shamploo scolded them as he finished cleaning his kitchen's floor, and they immediately scampered out before he kicked them out with his broom.

Yuuri therefore discovered the "joys" of cleaning dirty and smelling soldier uniforms…and underwear as the girls happily left him, saying that now that a boy was helping, it'd be embarrassing for them… Joy I tell ya…

Lunch came without trouble, except maybe for the strange disappearance of Doria and the tensed atmosphere after the first serving to the Maoh's living room. He kept quiet, but his explanation came rather violently in the early afternoon when he had been left to clean the kitchen by himself as the cook went to his third bath of the day.

Sangria was preparing tea, explaining that the Maoh, whenever she had to be stuck in her study (paperwork) along with her first son (a situation which sounded terribly familiar), she would want fancy types of tea to be served at three thirty. If her wish was not fulfilled, hell would happen…

And hell did happen, but not because of Cherry.

Doria and Lasagna broke into the kitchen with wild look in their eyes. Shamploo just followed them in with an exasperated face. The whole situation told Yuuri that something would most certainly be asked out of him, if their directed puppy eyes were of any indication.

"Yuu-chan! Help!" Lasagna pleaded without further explanation, beside her, Doria began to weep in absolute despair.

"What's wrong now?" he asked as Sangria obviously realized the current situation as she quite audibly gasped in shock.

"Don't tell me!" she breathed out as if in complete shock.

"Yes! Oh! I don't know what to do! It's so scary, what if I died! Or worse! If I fail, I'm going to be expelled!" Doria cried.

"This is absolutely terrible!" Lasagna added.

"This is _ridiculous_!" Shamploo replied, to which three maids turned to give him the best death glare they could muster.

"Oh Yeah? If it's so simple, why don't _you_ go?" Lasagna pointed out, to which the cook visibly blanched. As the physical reaction answered their question, the maids turned back to Yuuri.

"Please Yuu-chan: you have to save Doria!" Lasagna pleaded.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! I don't even know what's going on? Save you from what? What does it have to do with _dying_?" he cried, afraid for his own well being.

"Curry-san fell ill and was sent back home, so Doria had to take care of his jobs for the time being, but…" Lasagna explained.

"But?" the disguised double black asked, pushing her to keep going, though her words explained why the youth known as Curry had looked so flushed in bed this morning.

"Curry-san was also the one who had to bring tea to the Maoh and Lord von Voltaire!" Sangria cried dramatically.

"So?" he tied again, not comprehending their fright.

"So?" Lasagna cried with extra dramatic effects as she slumped to the ground.

"Lord von Voltaire is so _scary_! He always looks displeased! What if I do something wrong? I have to stand in the study and serve them until the Maoh asks for my leave! What if I accidentally spill tea on important papers? The Maoh doesn't appreciate me like she did Curry: I'm going to be _executed_!" Doria screamed as she slumped down crying.

"Somehow I highly doubt that… but what am I supposed to do about it?" he asked, more than confused.

"Replace me?" Doria, who suspiciously suddenly stopped crying just to ask him, whispered.

"What? Well, I don't see the problem with that…But I don't even know how I'm supposed to behave there…" he asked, after all, Yuuri had always counted on the ever helpful Conrad to get him out of his study before he had to spend more than two hours in it. And the few times were even Conrad couldn't get him out, it wasn't like tea had been his thing, so he had never asked for it. And now that he thought about it, neither did Gwendal.

"Serving tea in the Maoh's study is quite simple by itself… You just announce it to the door, then get in, pour the tea in the cups, then hand them in order: the Maoh first, the lord in second! Then you wait next to the door, if one of them shows that they want another serving, or just for their cups to be taken away, you do. When no one wants tea anymore, you just take back the cups and get out. And don't forget to bow down a lot! And don't speak if you're not asked!" Shamploo explained, stressed out for his new boy it seemed.

'Sounds _boring_…' Yuuri thought indignantly.

"Alright, I'll go. It doesn't look so tough." The double black in disguise agreed.

"Really? Are you sure? Lord von Voltaire really IS scary!" Sangria gaped.

"Yeah, even if Dorcas said that you _talked_ to him yesterday…" Doria let the information slip, it looked like she didn't want to have him know that either.

"Is that why you came to ask me? Anyway, I wonder if you really find him so scary: since his name is like, all over that wall!" the youth exclaimed as he pointed to the betting pool wall, making the maids blush in embarrassment.

"T-that's because…" Sangria tried to explain while blushing.

"Don't worry 'bout it! Ever since they heard that the lord and his childhood friend broke up from their foolish try at a relationship, they've been placing bet on him." Shamploo explained with a tired face.

"But I don't see Anissina on it…" Yuuri asked, he was surprised, sure, but Wolfram had already told him that his brother had been in a relation with the inventor once. Although it seemed shocking, considering their current relationship.

"Naw! These girls usually just bet on guys: less changing…" the cook muttered. Obviously, the Maoh's lifestyle influenced many things…

"A-anyway! Here's the tea, now go!" Lasagna embarrassingly pushed the small but highly decorated cart into Yuuri's hands and directed the new servant to the door.

Before he knew it, he was standing right in front of the Maoh's study's double door. He knew, he was used to it, since it would be _his_ study. Doria left him there, and the guards at the door were obviously giving him the pity looks.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door, announcing what he was bringing.

* * *

><p>A.N. Next chapter will probably have some GwenYuu moments, but don't worry, Conrad's gonna have his very own moments soon enough! It's just that since Conrad is much easier to deal with (though his old self is still a bit mysterious), I needed to develop the "Gwendal side of things".

I didn't develop "Curry" 'cause I don't want to fill the story with OCs, only Shamploo. By the way, he's inspired by Disgaea 3's Shamploo! I just love that guy and his cooking metaphors! I just passed on the "Boom"s…

Thank you again for the comments, readers! I appreciate your love XD!

**BREAK!**

The laundry Yuuri never wanted to have…

**Yuuri:** WHAT. IS. THIS?

**Lasagna:** What? This? Why are you looking so shocked? It's just common soldier underwear.

**Yuuri:** B-but it's-IT'S! It's a-a-a t-thong?

**Doria:** String.

**Yuuri:** Do ALL soldiers really wear t-this?

**Sangria:** Of course, it's common knowledge.

**Yuuri:** Sorry but _I_ **never** asked a random soldier what his choice of underwear was…it's worse than the g-string… (I _hope_ Conrad's not wearing _that_, the image is just-just! Too hard for me!)

**Lasagna: **I guess…

**Sangria:** Ah! Mostly, it's the lords who wear the g-strings! Even the Maoh, although her advisors kept reminding her that this choice is much too masculine…

**Yuuri:** (MASCULINE?) Why? What's _womanly_ then?

**Sangria:** *blushes* Y-Yuu-chan, that's so _pervy_!

**Yuuri:** I didn't ask to see _your_ current underwear…

**Doria:** The current fashion that the Maoh is supposed to wear would be something like this *pulls from the pile of laundry making the other two blush*

**Yuuri:** those are…boxers? _That's_ feminine?

**Lasagna:** What did you expect?

**Yuuri:** …

**Sangria:** But whose are those?

**Doria:** …

**Lasagna:** …

**Yuuri:** ?

**Lasagna:** Well-well…

**Sangria:** Oh. Shinou! That can't be…

**Doria: **He-he! I managed to get the whole uniform while he was gone to the baths!

**Yuuri:** (And after that, _I'm_ the pervert… Stealing people's clothes while they aren't looking! Given it's just to wash them, but still!) *goes back to scrubbing the disturbing male wear*

**Sangria:** But to think lord Weller would wear such _effeminate_ underclothes!

**Lasagna:** Give it up! It was probably one of those "joke presents" he received from Yosak…

**Sangria/Doria****/Lasagna/(even)Yuuri:** Kinky.(…)

And Yuuri felt slightly, just a slightly bit relieved to know that his godfather didn't wear a _thong_ underneath his _perfectness_.


	4. I am at your service

**At your service**

A.N.: Thanks to all who left reviews! Though I've been getting a bit less...

Some might think that Yuuri could have gotten in trouble for saying his name in the past. But at first, I didn't think that he would be the type to think before he let his name slip. And second, well second is going to be explained soon enough, but if I had just sent Yuuri to the "normal past" I'd have just used the demon mirror, y'know…instead of searching for some unknown land. The complex that will be born from this knowledge is what will _truly_ complicate the plot here.

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p>"Come in!" Gwendal answered the study's door, annoyed as his mother hadn't even finished half of what she<em> should <em>have done. But he knew that he'd only end up _more_ irritated if she didn't get her "tea break".

The tall demon was however surprised, when instead of the usual servant, the young, cute male he had met yesterday appeared.

'Wait. _Cute_? What the hell? I need to rest for a bit…' he thought irritated, on the outside he just looked like he was going to murder someone.

But, just like yesterday, the new face didn't seem impressed _at all_.

"Oh? I didn't know there was such a beautiful servant in the castle! Where were you all this time? Curry-chan can't come anymore…but if you could replace him…" the "sexy queen" not so subtly charmed.

Gwendal couldn't help the nervous twitch at his mother's antics. And yet again, he was surprised by the lack of a blushing mass from the new servant, who merely gave a nervous laugh and proposed to pour the Maoh some tea, as if this kind of advance from the beautiful woman happened everyday (actually, it almost did, if not for the 'journey of love').

The servant beauty, because that he obviously was, gave Cherry her cup, and although she very boldly took his offered hand, the young man merely gave another sheepish, disarming smile (which for some unknown reason the lord thought would go well on his borther's face) before going back to the gold rimed cart.

When the servant approached him, the dark-grey haired demon was surprised at how delicate he looked. And how absolutely determined he was. Not a single tremor when he handed him his cup, unusual, as even his mother's favorite had often trembled whenever he glared at him, as if the general would kill him with his eyes alone. But this man was fearless, even when he had to search for an opening in the wall made of paper to hand the demon his tea.

He observed the red/brown haired male carefully, unable to shake off the thought that this color really didn't suit the other male, but unable to decide which one would be the right. The frowning demon tried hard not to glance directly in the stranger's eyes, as he remembered quite well they had defeated him not so long ago.

"Would you tell me your name? Are you from here? How long have you been in the castle?" the Maoh asked, now, her son's troubled looks were picking her curiosity.

"I'm Yuuri, Shibuya Yuuri Harajuku Fuuri… I'm pleased to make your acquaintance your majesty, lord von Voltaire. And I've…just been accepted to work at your service last night." He said, almost letting slip that he had been in the castle for a long time, but once again, not thinking twice about whatever trouble he could get in for saying his name so carelessly.

Yet, no one had ever stated that he looked like or had the same name as someone that they had already met. So, he was either very forgettable, or, as he vaguely guessed through a few clues, this wasn't truly _his _New Makoku's past. Though his only clues right now were Dorcas' 'newbyness', as he knew that he only joined _after_ the war, and Yosak's utter lack of stealth skills…which he was sure were natural for the redhead, at least Conrad had told him so…

It didn't seem to be a very good situation for him. But there was still _a_ Shinou at the temple, and _a _Julia von Wincott somewhere. He had heard at least this much. So all wasn't lost.

"What a strange name…" Gwendal muttered, which seemed to anger the young servant.

"It's just an old joke with my name, I got used to it…It's not _that_ weird!" Yuuri complained to the older demon, which positively shocked him, and amused the Maoh terribly.

"Just keep it down, _servant_." The lord growled, insisting on the man's position.

"_Fine_! But can I go over there?" the youth asked angrily, pointing to the angle opposite to the one he was supposed to go in: where the Maoh's and her son's desks would be at his sides.

"Why?" Gwendal asked dubiously.

"Because it'd be easier if I could actually _see your face_ if you want to ask me something…" the disguised double black explained, pointing this time, to the pile of papers that hid the demon from sight.

"I don't see a problem with it!" Cherry laughed, it wasn't every day that someone asked to see her first son's _face_…

"_Fine_!" said son growled back. And so, the new servant went to stand at the sides of both the scariest lord in the kingdom and the most beautiful demon queen in history.

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><p>Somehow, Yuuri found out that annoying the tall, dark grey haired demon, had a certain charm to it…it could easily become an addiction. Now he had a better understanding of Anissina…and maybe even Gunter.<p>

By knowing the man, he also had the advantage on him, that's how he found out he could turn his boring task a bit more interesting, though Cherry was more troublesome. Although he was already quite used to her seducing, he usually had someone to save him, like Gunter or one of the three brothers, but Gwendal didn't look like he wanted to do anything about it right now. He couldn't blame him: he wasn't king, so no one was expected to defend his 'purity' as Gunter liked to put it.

Really, the only reason why he was so "_pure_", was because of Wolfram's sick jealousy…and the fact that the king couldn't do anything to the blond: he was his _friend_, and that's really all Wolfram was to Yuuri. A very sexy and pretty friend, but that's all.

Back on track, from his new point of view he could plainly admire-I mean- see his advisor. But really, the serious demon was just as handsome as his brothers. Somehow, Cherry really had a thing to make beautiful children… It wasn't for nothing that his mother called Gwendal the "cool guy", though he personally thought that Conrad deserved the nickname better.

The older male drank with a certain class, he just had a way to look _noble_ no matter what he did or what the situation was. Of course, there was always an exception, and from where Yuuri stood, it was in plain sight: a little plush animal.

It looked like a raccoon, a bit like the one that was given to him so many years ago after he and Gwendal had been trapped in a crazy desert were people were convinced that they were elopers. But this one raccoon looked even more like a raccoon, for example, the whiskers weren't dark blue! But one couldn't be too sure… as he remembered it, the little plush toy was supposed to be a kitten…

So, to make himself forgiven, or at least he hoped, he tried to show Gwendal that he wasn't there to be mean and annoying. He just wanted to give a small compliment that'd please the older male about the little knitted animal.

"It's a very cute kitten!" he finally said, doing his best to look like he was convinced about the "kitten" part. Though, it truly was cute…

But his comment didn't really have the expected effect. Gwendal looked at him incredulously, surprise all over his face as his eyes traveled from the new servant and the little toy that was obviously targeted. Cherry herself looked surprised at Yuuri, and trying to understand what had just happened.

"It's…a raccoon…" Gwendal finally breathed out.

'IMPOSSIBLE!' Yuuri internally yelled. 'Gwendal's done something that _actually looks like what it was supposed to_? There's NO WAY! Did I end up on the other side of an alternative UNIVERSE?' on the outside, his internal debate was translated through a very shocked stare, quickly misinterpreted.

"It really looks like a kitten though, doesn't it?" the dark grey haired demon suddenly asked, he looked strangely excited, he even blushed a little.

"I can't believe it…" Yuuri breathed out, still deep into shock, and still being misunderstood.

"Really? But it _does _look like a raccoon… Gwen, wasn't it one of Anissina's creations?" Cherry pointed out, not understanding any of the men in the room.

Though, _this_ comment did make Yuuri feel a better.

'Gee! So it was Anissina who made this! Phew! What a relief!' the disguised double black internally sighed.

"Heh!" the dark demon smirked, obviously pleased, confusing Yuuri, but drawing a sigh from Cherry.

"You're just happy that someone misinterpreted her work like people usually do yours…" the blond Maoh explained for the servant.

'So, he's just happy because I accidentally insulted Anissina's knitting skills… I wonder if he's just jealous of her or something…' Yuuri tried to guess the reasons that would explain the look of pure satisfaction on Gwendal's face.

"Here." The noble demon lord suddenly woke his servant from his internal debate.

The older man opened his desk's lowest drawer, pulling out another small knitted animal. This one looked like a little fox. He handed the little, palm sized toy to Yuuri.

"What is it?" the youth asked dubiously, making the older demon frown a bit again.

"It's a cat…" he panned.

"No. Err-I mean… Why are you handing it to me?" Yuuri answered.

"Oh! I-I just wanted you to have it…" he said, obviously embarrassed as he lowered his eyes to hide another small blush.

The man in disguise looked at his (not yet) advisor, surprised, shocked even, as he realized that, just like that, without truly meaning to or even trying, in the most unexpected of manners, in the silliest way…he became friends with Gwendal von Voltaire.

Slowly, as though he couldn't believe what was actually happening and expecting the whole world to suddenly disappear if he moved too quickly, he reached out to take the little animal in his hands, with great care. . His hands lightly brushed against the lord's as he cupped the small offering, feeling the dryness and calluses on them and wondering how those large hands could be so gentle whenever the equally large man made those cute animals or cared for children.

They both stayed frozen in this small instant, somehow connected by the unusual proximity. Each wondering if they should really draw back from the welcoming peace they created.

But both were rudely brought back into the harsh reality by the Maoh's amused giggle. She looked at the two with mirth, as small sparkles of mischief shone from within her bright green eyes. She teasingly extended her cup, asking for it to be refilled as she enjoyed the show.

Yuuri blushed for being caught in the moment. He delicately tied the "cat", Gwendal really seemed to like those, to his belt, using the string that was left by its neck for that very purpose. Then he quickly went back to his "duties".

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><p>The half-demon double black breathed in relief as he finally got out of the Maoh's study. He idly wondered if he should <em>hate<em> Cherry for her _excitement_… After his little slip, she had, not so subtly, decided to get other awkward moments between the "new sexy servant" and her "shy little baby"… And awkward moments there were… One thing he was sure of: he wasn't the only one with a terrible headache right now.

But the headache would obviously not leave him for a while, as the three maids and even Shamploo, were expectantly waiting for him right outside of the study. They all looked at him like he was going to announce that his execution would take place at sunrise or something…

"Don't you have anything to do right now?" he dubiously asked, doing his best to make it look accusing.

"How did it go? Has the lord done anything _rough_ to you?" Doria asked worriedly, all eyes were suspended to his lips, waiting for them to spill everything that had happened within the "mystery room".

"Somehow I feel like I already heard something like that…" he muttered as he blearily remembered something about a maid uniform and Wolfram, so long ago… "But no he didn't do anything. As a matter of fact, he even gave me this." He stated as he pointed to the little knitted toy, making all curious eyes widen in shock, as it seemed to happen a lot lately. "And Cherry-sama invited me to drink some tea as well…" he added softly, praying that no one would wonder about the "hows"…

"But there were only two cup, did you refuse?" (no such luck Yuuri) it was Sangria who asked.

"She just had me drink from Gwen- I mean, from lord von Voltaire's, since he didn't want any more." He explained, trying hard not to remember how Cherry had commented half-way through his drink about the fact that it was just like an indirect kiss, which he definitely hadn't thought about when he had simply accepted to get something to drink, and from Gwendal's face, neither did he…

Unfortunately for Yuuri, it seemed that within this castle, many people were on the same wavelength as the Maoh… Or so Yuuri realized as the four in front of him started blushing furiously, turning around he added the guards to this statement.

"Now that you know everything, could we, please, get moving from there?" the disguised double black pleaded, ignoring the dreamy expressions from the girls or the haggard one on the men… "Please! It's not _that_ incredible or anything!" he whined.

"It's because you're new here! You don't even know the lord, and yet! He's so scary! But you…you! You just went and had him give you presents and kisses!" Lasagna exploded, making Yuuri sweatdrop as his words were already blowing out of proportions.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! He gave me A plush toy! And we didn't _kiss_! Geez! I only drank from his cup because Cherry literally beg-err-asked me to! Our faces didn't even touch!" the double black cried at the whole stupidity as he made his way back into the kitchen, closely followed by the maids and Shamploo, the guards looking like they wished they could do the same and get some more gossip.

"Does that mean other _things_ touched?" Doria dared to ask, although she blushed even darker from that comment.

"NO! Well our hand, but that normal since I had to hand the cups…" he trailed off, already regretting his babbling and truthful nature.

"Your _hands_! Ohhhh…" Sangria was now lost in dirty dream land.

The double black wished he could be as completely naïve as he used to be years ago, as the few nosebleeds that followed that day were even worse than Gunter's quiet fantasies.

At least, starting today, the pool was taken down from the kitchen wall, so he wouldn't see what bets were placed on him…

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><p>In the days that followed "the event", Yuuri had to take care of<em> all<em> servings whenever Gwendal was involved, be it to the dinning table or in the office in the afternoon. He had also decided on keeping his mouth as shut as could be from the prying eyes (people were obviously training at lip reading), so the gossip wouldn't blow out of proportion, as was usual.

Dorcas was acting as though he was being betrayed. The maids were stuck to him whenever they could, waiting for a slip up and an occasion to turn any of his words into sexual innuendos… Shamploo was about the only one who wasn't acting very different, the man was just as over energetic and hyperactive as he usually was.

On the other side of the doors, Gwendal kept sighing and frowning exceptionally hard whenever his mother started giggling when she saw the "new servant", though he now ought to find the youth another definition. Cherry kept giving Yuuri little winks and trying to seduce him as much as she tried to push him on her son. Gunter was an absolute 180° from what Yuuri was used to, scolding Cherry for her untoward actions and glaring at _him_ for reasons unknown (though the maids had their own assumptions). Conrad, who was very different from the one he was used to, just kept a straight face and stayed mostly inexpressive, scary.

Over time he had tried to get Conrad to show some emotions. At some point he was sure he had become rather annoying with it. Of course, he had to stop when his actions gave birth to even _more_ disturbing gossip. It was rating from pure hate for the man, to repressed love… Not to say that the half-bred soldier really seemed to believe that Yuuri hated his guts, which hurt the disguised Maoh.

Yosak, the gossip whore, was following Yuuri day in and out, hidden or not, though he also seemed to want to know what the mysterious servant really thought of his childhood friend. Everyday he'd try to make him talk about Conrad.

Wolfram still hadn't come back from his visit to his uncle's territory. A few messengers were sent every now and then, telling of his well being, he knew, since Cherry would always read those letters out loud.

He had seen Stoffel. He couldn't believe the man had the capabilities to start a war: he really looked like a total pushover; anyone could put him in an awkward situation with a few well placed words… Raven and Gwendal really were the ones doing all the work. Stoffel was just the one whispering into Cherry's ear, and Cherry half-heartedly repeated them.

He had met Briscella Geigen Huber…and he now understood Gwendal's hate when long ago they went to retrieve him: the guy was a total asshole, though he knew he had some hidden good in him, right now it was _very_ hard to see! Nicola was really a god sent if she managed to transform this man. The first time he had seen him, he was hit; for looking at the noble…with his half-breedness…okay so maybe he had opened his big mouth again and insulted the man a tiny bit… Cherry had screamed, Gwendal had retaliated, Yosak had helped him up and showed the "new boy" behind him to guard him, Conrad had looked scarred, but ready to strike, for a second it had almost looked like he was back "home".

Then things went back to normal and the incident was forgotten.

It had now been officially four days since he was a servant in Blood Pledge Castle. Almost five days since he had stumbled into this mess. But today, the sun could shine brighter: for Yosak finally came to him with the proposal he had long waited for.

"Mind coming with me to the temple? Lord Briscella Geigen asshole is around and I need someone to help me carry things there! Plus a little outing could only do you some good." The redhead had said.

And Yuuri would have never thought he'd ever feel so happy to get to see the annoying original king.

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><p>AN: I just wanna say: I LOVE HUBE! But. He'll be "Mr. I-am-an-asshole" for a good while. It was hard getting him into the "proud noble" personality, the one that had him asking for half-breeds to be sent to die. But now that I have the image, it doesn't look so completely impossible. He'll appear in his full assholeness soon. Sorry though, I didn't search the correct translation for his full name, so I wrote it like I remembered it. Though I'm convinced that it IS HubeR and not HubE: this one is just for Greta who can't pronounce "r"s quite well yet.

**Zel-chan: **Besides that. YUURI! I don't have any idea for a break time! *cries*

**Yuuri:** So what? It's not like I have any ideas myself!

**Yosak:** Oh! I have one! *pick some sparkly, frilly dress* Blue would suit you perfectly Yuu-chan!

**Yuuri:** No.

**Yosak:** What? C'mon! Ever heard of "fanservice"? *gets closer*

**Yuuri:** NO.

**Yosak:** It's fine! I'll be_ gentle_! *starts to roll the dress up*

**Yuuri:** STOP!

**Yosak:** I swear I'll try not to hurt you! *approaches*

**Yuuri:** Don't come any closer!

**Yosak:** Oh come on! Don't tell me it's your first time! I see it in your eyes: you're experienced! *prepares to pounce with the dress rolled up*

**Yuuri:** N-no! Please! Not that!

**Conrad:** *stumbles in dramatically* YOSAK! How could you! As your friend, I should kill you before-before… *actually looks at the scene* …what are you two doing?

**Yosak:** …

**Yuuri:** …

**Conrad:** …well?

**Yuuri:** …calisthenics? (sorry I just stumbled upon the ConYuu community a little while ago XD)

**Yosak:** Hum…that's huh…not what it sounded like?

**Conrad:** Not really, no.


	5. Worries and randomness

**At your service**

A.N.: I've recently become infuriated with Beelzebub! Here, it's official! This manga makes me laugh so hard! Though, the anime disappointed me greatly (well, except for ep. 06 XD, that cross-dressing was great!). I began imagining Yuuri ending up in that school, throwing punches and becoming strong…so not like him. XD. But just having Oga throw something called "Maou Punch!" gets my imagination working… I'm bad I know.

Anyway, back to our current business and fic! I'm sorry for the long wait, but I'm having some hard time getting on it, plus the exams are getting closer…(again, it feels like they're always here). But well, your reviews are always a good and very welcome encouragement!

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Worries and randomness<strong>

**Back to camp with "sleeping Yuuri"****:**

"Gwendal! We have a message from the Great Sage!" Conrad said as he ran to his brother, the small parchment all wrinkled up in his tight grip.

The knight had fought not to tear the thing open: he was both so excited and worried that he might have turned the fragile piece of paper into confetti… So he decided to leave the unwrapping and reading to his older brother, who looked much calmer.

"You want _me_ to read it?" the general sighed, but still extended his hand to his wild looking brother. "You'll have to let go of it though…" he added as the brown clad soldier's grip didn't seem ready to lessen.

"Right." Conrad answered as he slowly let go of the paper, not sure anymore if he wanted to know what was inside of it: what if some terrible news were waiting for him, for his Yuuri?

"Let's see…" the tall demon stated as he could finally open the wrinkled paper. He read over the page, frowning a bit before reading slowly out loud, both to get a better understanding and to calm his little brother's stressed, though discreet, shifting.

"I talked to Shinou. His guess is that Shibuya (the Maoh) was sent into a sort of parallel reality. He can't be sure of where exactly or how to get him back, so I'll stay at the temple to help: my maryoku might be needed to support mini-Shinou, you know… Also, Wolfram will also stay at the castle to look over things there with Cherry (who came back not long ago), if you're wondering why: Gunter and Anissina are on their way to you, obviously one of her inventions might help…maybe, probably…you'll see for yourself. Gisela will come with them as well." Gwendal finished the message with a shudder.

'Maybe I should go back to the castle now…to take care of things. And with a little luck I won't cross paths with those three…' the general internally debated, but one look at the miserable, kicked puppy look his brother sported, crushed his plans. Although he was one of the _very_ few who could decipher that look on the perfect soldier's face.

"You worry too much: the Great Sage will probably find a way, although Shinou has lost power, he is _still_ the original king!" the older male sighed as his brother only frowned deeper at his words.

"His majesty, no, Yuuri… He's… he's some place, away from me, alone! He might be in danger! What if _something_ happens?" the soldier ranted. Seeing how deep into depressing thoughts he was, Gwendal decided that he should just leave his sibling, for now.

Plus, although the old general didn't want to admit it, he'd rather do his best not to swallow in those very same despairing thoughts. No matter how detached he tried to look about the whole situation, the young king was still a very precious _person_- a _friend_, to him.

To think that he was in some unknown, possibly dangerous place, all by himself, and knowing his own reckless nature-_wait_-didn't he say that he didn't want to think about it?

Striving to calm his nerves, he tried to convince himself that it wasn't all that different from when the young king went to his own world: no one was there, but he had survived, right? There was hope then, right? Nodding to himself he went back into the king's tent.

Finally, he could give the unconscious youth his finished kitten, which actually didn't look so bad, the older demon was quite satisfied with his work… Well, ok, so maybe the tail was a bit long, the ears a bit too big and cats didn't really have wings…but it had looked like it would suit it so well! And it was still slightly recognizable….a bit, maybe, probably… Anyway, it didn't really matter…

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><p><strong>To parallel universe:<strong>

"Thanks for your hard work!" Yosak exclaimed as a panting Yuuri finally let down the heavy box he had been given.

"W-what _is_ in that _thing_? Weights? A big full cube of_ lead_?" the servant/king complained.

"Come on, don't be like that!" the soldier wannabe spy joked. But Yuuri ignored him, instead he looked a bit bothered, not by the heavy weight he had to carry, but by were they had ended.

"I thought we were going to the temple…" he finally said.

In fact they were _close_ to the temple, but not quite _in_ the temple…

The redhead gave him a strange look, then a disturbingly mischievous one.

"My, my! And here I thought you weren't like that! Aiming to get into an all female temple! Not that I can't understand your point! But I really didn't expect it from you!" Yosak laughed at his "realization", and laughed even more at the disturbed look on his charge's face.

Though after a moment of the disbelieving look on the other's face not going away and total lack of blushing, the self called best spy in Shin Makoku went into shock.

"Do NOT tell me that you said that in absolute innocence!" he finally exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"Huh? I-I… It's just that…you said we were going to the temple and we're not… And do you mean by "I wasn't expecting it from you"?" Yuuri tried to find the right words, as he didn't really say that without further meaning, just not the one that the redhead had thought about.

'Man! There's no way! And he's making that super cute face! Being cute at that age should be forbidden, or at least severely punished, though no one could punish _that_! But come on, he's what? A hundred years old? Barely younger than the captain, maybe they're the very same age! And Conrad isn't _cute_, even though he's Cherry's son! Gah! Yosak, you are NOT regretting your superior's lack of _cuteness_!' the spy mentally screamed, though his frozen state was starting to worry the beautiful male in front of him, and a worried looking Yuuri was an even More innocent and cuter looking Yuuri…

"ALRIGHT! I get it! FINE! Let's go to Shinou's fucking goddamn Temple!" the spy screamed, making the servant in front of him jump.

"R-right?" Yuuri agreed, just a bit scarred by the sudden outburst.

"Buuuuuuuuuuut~ we'll have to prepare better than that~!" the blue eyed half-demon suddenly returned to being mischievous.

The wig wearing youth only looked at him questioningly as the spy began shuffling around in his bag. His wonderings suddenly turned into disbelief and distaste as he realized that the other _male_ was actually pulling out a _dress_. No, not' just _any_ sort of dress! It was a _MAID_ uniform! The youth didn't even try to hide his disgust as Yosak gave him a thumb up after sticking the dress in front of him.

"Are you kidding? I hope you are! Besides, they're not gonna buy that for _one friggin millisecond_!" Yuuri cried at the spy's stupid idea, making the redhead pout, which was more ridiculous than cute…

The self proclaimed spy was about to retort, when soldier steps suddenly approached their way, not really surprising since they were close to the main path leading to the temple, what was strange was that it came _from_ the direction of the temple, although soldiers weren't supposed to be there. The redhead was even more surprised when said 'soldiers' turned out to be _females_ and most probably temple maidens. He was finally utterly dumbfounded when they stopped in front of them.

"Yosak. And…whoever might you be… Ulrike-sama wishes to see you…" one of them authoritatively said, surprising both males.

"Huh? Why?" Yosak dumbly asked.

"Do not question the great maiden's reasons!" they said, pointing their sharp edged spears to them.

"Let's just go, besides, we had to bring those supplies didn't we?" Yuuri finally said, calm and collected as he was, the spy couldn't help but feel like something was totally being kept from him.

'I'm a spy damit! I should know everything before hand! At least the sort of things that'd explain this whole situation! Why does the kid looks so calm?' his internal turmoil kept bothering the soldier the whole way to the temple's entrance, where the great maiden, Ulrike was waiting for them.

She looked critically at him, then at Yuuri. After an eternal pause, she just started to look confused.

"It's you isn't it? Somehow, I know it's you. Even if I don't even know what you are yet…" she mysteriously said to the young servant.

"I wondered how I'd manage to see you, or if you were going to come to me… looks like we met halfway instead." Yuuri said to the small, childlike maiden. "Could I speak with you…and, you know…him." He added.

At this point on, Yosak was more than just confused, he was utterly lost! His head spun from looking back and forth between the newly acquired servant and the maiden.

"Even if you say that, I'm still not sure…" she said, looking a bit hesitant.

"Oi, oi! Mind explaining to little ol' me?" Yosak finally exploded.

"I guess it'd be a problem if I left you in the dark at this point… I can show you, but could we go else where?" Yuuri stated, one didn't need to be a genius to understand that he was asking for a less _public_ area.

"Very well." Ulrike answered, shooing away the confused female guards and leading them deeper into the temple.

They came into a small garden, Yuuri recalled it from the time when he had first experienced the time travel. The maiden looked at the young unknown man expectantly, while Yosak was looking like he wanted to jump at _something_.

"First…Yosak. Could you…keep this to yourself?" Yuuri asked the redheaded spy.

"What? Well, even if you say this…you know it's not like I could make any promises…" he answered, embarrassed as the whole situation seemed too grave to just ignore. And depending on what would be revealed, he might have to inform someone: he was faithful to his country, and in times of war, secrets weren't generally good.

"I assure you that it's nothing…worth spreading. Not war related, nor threatening… At least, I can only give you my word that, no matter what, my faith lays with Shin Makoku." He finally said.

The spy nodded, he understood that a half-breed like him would want to assure that. If the young man was about to show or say something strange, he had even more reasons to try and explain himself. The youth was actually so serious, so _pure_ in his very being, that Yosak couldn't even _try_ to doubt the truthfulness of his words. So the redhead merely waited in respectful silence, for the red/brown haired male to drop the bomb.

Then, before his very eyes, the youth nodded, then he took off what Yosak recognized as dragon scales from his eyes, they were often used to hide demon's rather obvious eye colors to humans, but it didn't make any sense to use them inside demon territory. Or at least that was what the redhead thought, until he actually _saw_ the servant's true colors.

He was perplexed: surely his eyes were deceiving him, or he was standing too far or the sun wasn't shining as much as he first thought it was… But the other male's eyes looked like deep pools of completely _black_ ink. He couldn't even determine where the pupil became the iris.

His doubts were quickly crushed though, as the young servant griped his hair and _removed_ his reddish brown mane. Both the redhead and the maiden followed the fall of what they could already distinguish as a high quality wig. They shocked minds slowly brought their heads back up as Yuuri all but tore away the many pins which kept his _real_ hair in check.

Freeing his _black_ mane and breathing a sigh of relief at said freedom, the youth let the two digest his true appearance. Although he knew that his double blackness was extremely rare, he still didn't expect to complete look of disbelief he received.

"A-a… Y-you're a-a-" the spy began, unable to voice aloud what his mind was screaming repeatedly.

'A double black, a double black, a double black! But _how_? Why? He's a half-demon, for Shinou's sake! Then why? Maybe he isn't? But why? Damnit, I need _answers_!' the spy's mind rambled!

Next to him, the maiden looked equally struck.

"You're…I-I'll let you see the original king…you can see him, don't you?" she asked after a moment of regaining her calm, dignified self.

Yuuri nodded, and both started out, completely ignoring the gaping redfish on their way.

"H-hey! Wait for me!" the spy finally exclaimed.

"Yosak, I'm sure that you have a ton of questions… but if you keep them to a minimum and wait until after I've finished it here, I'd be grateful. I'll try and answer them on our way back…how about it?" Yuuri asked the redhead, smiling kindly, trying to hide his own hope for the original king to send him back to the place he belonged to, before he had to leave the temple. Yosak on his part, gave him a depressed look, he knew that the man _hated_ with a passion to be left out of things; that was what made him a good spy as well, though he wasn't quite that just yet.

"I…I understand. You better answer all of them though!" the redhead answered after he swallowed the heavy lump blocking his throat, it might be better anyway: right now his thoughts were far too much in shambles for him to decide on what to ask first.

"Thanks, I promise I'll do my best with that." The younger male answered.

And with that, they parted ways, the door leading into the holy stream were the original king communicated to the holy maiden closed behind the childlike maiden and the double black, leaving the spy standing in the hall. He sorted his thoughts a bit before he managed to drag his feet out and get some fresh air.

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><p>It was <em>almost night<em>, hours after they had separated, that the double black, yet again disguised as a human, resurfaced. And the spy was extremely glad, for the female guards had went from starring coldly at him, to asking for the soldier to execute a few "male tasks" around…like opening tightly closed jars or carrying heavy loads, or even resealing a few cracks…

He was about to complain to the youth, before he decided against it as the young servant looked extremely depressed. So instead, he kept silent as he fell in steps with the disguised double black, intend on beginning his questions as soon as he was out of the maiden's earshot.

They looked straight ahead of them as they took the path back to the castle, observing the romantic changes of colors in the infinite sky as the sun was setting to their right. The vast star ocean stared down at them, showing off his brightest sparkling stars by the time the redhead decided to finally drop his first question.

"Are you really a half-breed?" he first asked, after all, double blacks were _extremely_ rare, more so, completely extinct, so for one to be only a half was…startling. After all, they were the evanescence of demons, the most powerful majutsu users! The most nobles of nobles! Yet this one claimed to be a half and was recruited as a mere _servant_.

"I am. All I said was true: my mother is human and my father is a demon, though I only learned of his nature six years ago." was the world shaking answer he provided: completely NOT normal.

"That's…" the spy failure began, before he realized something. "Wait! You never told me all that! I mean I didn't know that your mother and your father…" he tried to explain.

"Don't even try to cover it up: I knew you were there when I spoke to Dorcas… And that Conrad is having his doubts about me, probably because I slipped and called him by name…" the youth explained, as Yosak stopped dead in his track at the revelation, after a minute of just looking at the other's back he finally got out of his trance and ran up to the double black.

"H-how did you know I was here?" he asked, hysteric: he had used his best skills at the time, techniques he hadn't even shown or used on his own captain before!

The younger male ignored the question, hoping that the spy would decide on another one.

"You said you'd answer all my questions!" the spy raged, and so the double black had no other choice but to answer.

"Your 'super hiding place up the ceiling' is nothing new to me. Nor is the 'I'm hiding behind that super tall statue' or any of your other super 'stalking techniques'!" He panned.

"…" the spy kept silent, unable to form another question, there was just so many wrongs in the way the youth had said that, and how the hell did he know of the names he had given to his superb abilities?

"I can use maryoku as well…" the young king added as he formed a floating clean water ball from the stagnant water that stained the side of the path.

At this point on, Yosak clearly looked like the stranger had just slapped him,…on the left cheek of course.

"Anymore questions?" Yuuri finally asked, unsure. He didn't want to tell too much, one because there was a high chance that, even with the recent events, the redhead wouldn't believe him; and two, he was still a bit down because of what the original king had told him.

"I'm way too lost so… Just…just one, well maybe two, but first: about your loyalty…" Yosak trailed off, after all, he guessed that this was the only real important thing. Yuuri nodded, understanding the spy's hesitation and worries.

"As I told you. I love Shin Makoku. And I love its people. I'll never let them down, but I'm not about to act blindly either. I'm not a war worshipper…I'd rather see people talk this out and let it all end peacefully, but I understand that it's not that easy, especially at this point. Unfortunately, I'm no longer naïve enough to think that…" he replied.

"Ok…" the redhead wondered about the 'unfortunately' part, but in some ways he understood: innocence was hard to keep in times of war.

"You had another thing to ask." Yuuri reminded, now that Yosak's most important question had passed, he knew the kind of things the spy would do now…

"Well, I've been wondering about this for a while… Do you actually like the captain?" he playfully asked.

'Yup, lifting the mood with something stupid again!' the youth internally sighed, though he hadn't quite expected that one.

"Like? Of course I like Conrad! I _love_ Conrad! He's just…not really like I expect him to be… So I don't really know how to act around him…" he trailed off, unaware of the strength of his words, after all, Conrad was his family, his father, his most trusted man, his knight, he could no less than love him!

Beside him, Yosak was just dumbstruck, flabbergasted, shocked to the bone by the raw confession he had just heard. The double black had just, without the slightest trace of shyness, as bluntly as one could, confessed his unconditional love for his unaware double brown friend…

Damn! The young man had even shared his insecurities with him!

"W-what about Gwen-I mean-Lord von Voltaire?" the spy asked, unsure.

"More questions? Well I like Gwendal too…I think he's kind of cute, actually." Yuuri answered with a sheepish smile and a small blush, and this time the redhead couldn't stop his jaw from hitting the floor, loudly, definitely cracking the path with it.

The disguised double black merely shrugged at the spy's antics and kept on walking.

Yosak on the other hand, was about to cry something like "threesome!" but refrained, the mental images enough to bring disturbing reactions to his body.

'But come on! Von Voltaire? CUTE? No. Fucking. Way. Did he really just _say_ that? Even _blushed_ this time! Does he _think _that? Then…Conrad or von Voltaire? My questions are still unanswered!' Yosak internally rambled.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! T-then! Which one do you like better?" Yosak screamed after the retreating back.

"Which one? Why? I'm not choosing! I like them both!" the king (who was not king there) dead panned: to him everyone was important, he swore he wouldn't make favorites!

His "likes" might be a bit different depending on who he was talking about though, but Conrad was as important as Gwendal in his heart! And well, one a second level, so were Wolfram, Murata, Gunter, Ulrike, and just about everyone else! Of course, depending on the situation, he might be more worried about one rather than the other, but that wasn't the problem! It just depended on what he could trust them with!

Though the questions made him start going into some unknown territories…

Back into the current situation, Yosak, once again (maybe it was his hobby), looked like he was about to crumble, or maybe scream, or even pounce the man who had just told him that he _loved_ two people at the same time…

'My mind needs some shutting up… How do you do matchmaker in this sort of situation? Not to mention both are in dire need of a proper lovin'! Von Voltaire because he doesn't know the first thing about love, Conrad because his platonic love is totally unhealthy! ARGH! I'm confused! Damit, kid! Now that picture won't leave my mind, for years!' the redhead complained in silence, on the outside he guessed he probably looked like some crazy guy having a fit.

And Yuuri was ignoring him again…

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><p>This evening, the maids were "boiling", clearly having something like pleasant gossip to share. It was in this clear show of excitement that Yosak and Yuuri arrived. And as soon as they dared to step into this madness, both were literally swallowed by the mob of maids.<p>

"W-what's happening? An earthquake? A flood? An invasion?" Yuuri screamed as he was unceremoniously dragged to the kitchen, along with Yosak, and apparently Dorcas.

"Get ready, get ready, GET READY!" Lasagna hyperactively cried as she threw Yuuri into a small, half assed changing room. In reality it was just made by Dorcas and Yosak holding up curtains over an empty corner. Doria all but threw the young servant clean clothes with a simple order to put them on.

"Well, what's going on?" Yosak pondered aloud, searching for an answer within the hushed whispers and squeals the maids shared more or less discreetly, as he held the curtain he had been trusted with.

"They're just getting excited because of _things_…and that one of them had to take Yuuri's place to serve lord von Voltaire this afternoon…" Dorcas explained.

"Heh? Waitaminute! Since when did my _function_ become _serve lord von Voltaire_? First of all, I'm just supposed to bring tea to the Maoh when she gets too bored! Which just happens to be when she's in Gwendal's office!" Yuuri complained as he disrobed behind the curtains, too afraid of the maids to even try and discuss the place he had been thrown into for that.

"Drop it, kid. You confront the "scary lord's" face every single day since the beginning, you even got a present from him! Of course people are just going to act like you're his pimp!" the spy laughed, it was a humor that the double black didn't seem to agree with, and could live without…

"EXCUSE ME? I'm not a _pimp_! What's next? Courtesan?" the youth complained, unaware of the deep blushes his comment brought the maids, and even more to Yosak, who had unwanted images crossing his minds for the third time of the day, mostly because their previous conversation was still fresh in his mind.

On the other side of the curtain, Yuuri was at least grateful about the change of clothes, even more so since it looked _normal_ (meaning it wasn't a freakishly frilly maid dress like the one Yosak had wanted to put on him earlier that afternoon). Though, he was also extremely embarrassed by the maids' gossiping.

Not a second after he was back out, fully clothed, he was caught by an undetermined number of arms and carried over to what he recognized was Gwendal's office. He tried to complain, but before he knew it he had a tray in front of him and he was pushed through the double doors. It was only when the maid pushing from behind him suddenly froze and that Yosak's smirk, as he had followed, disappeared, that he understood that something seriously bad was going on.

So, the future Maoh looked back up, shyly. First his eyes landed on a frowning Gwendal, he looked a bit startled at the commotion, and even a bit worried. Then his eyes trailed a bit to the right, here he found the precarious situation and the whole reason why the world had suddenly frozen around him.

There stood his godfather and knight in shining armor (though he didn't have one and that he really was just a soldier) glaring blazingly, as if in a death match against someone who had mortally wounded his king, to the very last person he had wanted to see: Briscella Geigen Huber.

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><p>A.N.: yeah! Some Yosak time in this chapter! Poor Yuuri didn't get an escape route from Shinou (of course not)! Anyway, the next chapter is still far from finished, so please be patient. And Yuuri still escaped from wearing the dress! XD And I still don't know how to correctly spell Huber's name! But whatever!<p>

**Break time!**** Warning for author's totally deviant stupidity, lack of imagination, vitamin deprived brain (probably), perverted thoughts and total lack of rereading! Here, read at thy own risk! **

So Yuuri was being a brat, why? Because Conrad wouldn't be Mr. "knight in shining armor". Nor the perfect soldier, he couldn't even bring him to tell one of his shitty _jokes_!

**Yosak:** Ya look a bit down Cap'tain. Sometin' on yer mind?

**Conrad:** Stop it with the stupid accent already, Yosak! Or is it just a slur because you're drunk? Is your mind defective?

**Yosak:** Geez! So harsh! And I have yet to do anything! What's on your mind already? Something eating at you? An ex-girlfriend or something? Did someone tease you about your underwear?

**Conrad:** *Glares like he wants to punch Yoak into the next Sunday* It's _him_!

**Yosak:** *Takes a few steps back and looks confused* _Him_? Again? *sigh* What did _you_ do this time?

**Conrad:** What do you mean "_What did you do_"? NOTHING! Why do you immediately assume that IT IS ME?

**Yosak:** Just 'cause! That kid's so _sweet_! I can't believe he'd just bully you out of spite!

**Conrad:** *Grumbles* But he IS!

**Yosak:** Yeah, yeah. Ya told me that a hundred of times already!

**Conrad:** He kicked a bucket full of dirty, cold, laundry water over my head! Just the other day!

**Yosak:** Wasn't that because when he said "hello" you responded with a "fuck off bitch" or something? He's pretty susceptible ya know…

**Conrad:** I only said "get lost", because I was pissed at something! I can't believe you're spreading these rumors! My language isn't THAT foul!

**Yosak:** Whatever you say… yer still just like a little kid…

**Conrad:** I'm NOT! And you accent's coming back!

**Yosak:** So today-?

**Conrad:** And yesterday he hit me! (Actually he went completely berserk and I got a few scratches, not that I'll tell Yosak that they hurt).

**Yosak:** Huh, huh. *nods* But you totally kicked him.

**Conrad:** I didn't SEE HIM!

**Yosak:** Liar. And you didn't apologize because?

**Conrad:** *blushes* W-what? He's just a servant…

**Yosak:** Now, I know were your little brother is getting his attitude… But more seriously, you've never been one to treat people bad because of their ranks. So what? Don't tell me…

**Conrad:** *blushes* …You think it's bad don't you? *lowers his head*

**Yosak:** What? That you're acting like a brat because you found someone to have childish fights with? That you finally found some playground partner? Or that you're just a slightly bit on the masochistic side and were actually expecting to be punished?

**Conrad:** I-I'm not m-masochistist or whatever! *blushes madly*

**Yosak:** Right. So you don't want me to kick you?

**Conrad:** No.

**Yosak:** Damn! Not even a little, heh? Too bad! So what happened today? Didn't get your little piece of rough lovin'?

**Conrad:** I just wanted to try and make up, you know…

**Yosak:** All right. And so? Did you screw up on purpose? Insulted him? Make the cook angry enough to send you to your room with an empty stomach again? "Accidentally" told him that he'd look good in a skimpy tight dress, 'cause that'd totally help make your cock bigger? (I tried that one and I swear I still have the print marks of his fingers around my neck) Don't tell me you said that you used him to mast-

**Conrad:** STOOOOP! NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. AND NOOO! YOSAK! SO YOUR MIND REALLY _**IS**_ ROTTEN! O-ok, so maybe I did try to screw up a bit, BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT!

**Yosak:** What then?

**Conrad: **I-I… I tried to make a failed joke…

**Yosak:** Captain…Ol' pal. You do _know_ that you don't need to _try_ to mess_ this_ up with you natural sense of _humor_, right?

**Conrad:** What?

**Yosak:** Oh, so you don't know… *sigh* Just ignore me would ya?

**Conrad:** Sure. Anyway, after that…well.

**Yosak:** (Don't accept to ignore me so easily!) After _that_ what? *annoyed + grumbles*

**Conrad:** _Nothing_! He didn't try to hit me, didn't throw a bucked of latrine water at my face, didn't even try to kick me in the crotch! N-O-T-H-I-N-G!

**Yosak:** ? You mean… Not even a finger? A warning growl? Something explicitly requiring the need of a broom stick and your asshole? Kids really are lacking imagination these days…so maybe not but-

**Conrad:** N-no! H-he! HE!

**Yosak:** WHAT? Did he kiss you? Laugh at you?

**Conrad:** Yes…

**Yosak:** Or did he-wait-WHAT? What did you say yes to?

**Conrad:** He laughed! Yosak. He l-a-u-g-h-e-d! For real!

**Yosak:** Don't tell me you actually really said something funny… (and here I was expecting a kiss)

**Conrad:** I don't know! I-I can't seem to remember! I was so shocked!

**Yosak:** Oh, boy!

**Conrad:** Yosak… What am I gonna do?

**Yosak:** What? To make yourself hated again? Did the fact that he didn't _punish_ you, really disappoint you _that_ much?

**Conrad:** But he smiled! _SMILED!_ …he looked so…amused.

**Yosak:** Okay, okay! I get it already! Geez! *walks away before his sanity decides to take a long vacation*

**Conrad:** He looked so…beautiful…and pure… I want to see him smile again…

In some other dimension, another Conrad wished that his dear king would just wake up and tear his stupid godfather a new one for being such a worrywart. Imagining it, he suddenly realized that it might not feel too bad to be punished by Yuuri…


	6. Why Yuuri should learn to shut it

**At your service**

**A.N.:** Thanks everyone for their reviews! I'm happy that some of you review the different chapters, as it lets me know that you keep enjoying and reading! Even if you got nothing important to say, it's nice to inform me whenever you saw something funny, or if something's lacking, or even just if you liked the chapter,.. or not (you've got the right! XD).

On a side note, this chapter will let you know what happened with Huber!

Sometimes, I like to make a little jump forward before going back to the past. Just 'cause, I don't like to repeat myself, and that I sometimes feel like there are certain moments where it is more appropriate to slightly ignore an action, just to have it summarized at a better opportunity.

As for Yuuri's and Shinou's meeting, it's the same, it'll come later, when Yuuri has a time to reflect on it, because at the time, I didn't want to abandon Yosak's perspective for such a long while (Forgetting the redhead for too long at the time didn't seem like the right choice to make).

Anyway, onward!

**Disclaimer:** do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Or how Yuuri should really learn to close his big, rambling mouth...<strong>

**Back to camp where Yuuri is "sleeping":**

"Yuuri… Please wake up…please." Conrad pleaded as he stood by his Maoh's bed.

He was the only one in today. Gwendal had taken his duties with the soldiers, obviously his lack of luster was bad for the troops moral. Though he doubted Gwendal's stares would be much better.

But since he was alone, and that Yosak was too otherwise occupied, waiting for Anissina, Gisela and Gunter, he allowed himself some line crossing. Like taking the double black's hand in his, softly, carefully, pressing his lips to the longs and delicate fingers with care as he prayed.

Knowing that his king was in some parallel universe, maybe a _dangerous_ universe was terrible for his moral. Even worse was the fact that his king's frail body was there, before his eyes, yet nothing could be done to save him. It really was like the time with the demon mirror, when all he could do was watch and wait, helplessly.

But at least, with the demon mirror there was a certain security: they knew the young king would be at either the past or the future, and that he would come back, eventually. But now, the place was unknown, the dangers many. Most of all, his king could _die_. And they didn't even know if anything could prevent it.

And no matter how his brother tried to tell him that it wasn't the first, and probably not the last, time that the Maoh was and would be apart from him, somehow, the whole situation made the soldier much more worried than he had ever been. He knew that there had been times that he should consider as much worse, like when he was with Big Shimaron on one of Shinou's stupid whim. He remembers quite well, now more than ever, the feeling of helplessness, his heart skipping more than one beat, the cotton in his ears and the cold that had spread within his body when Belal had asked for Yuuri's immediate execution. Or even the time when Shinou had taken his king's body, threatening to break his very soul, and coercing the Maoh's most loyal subjects to raise their blades against him…

"Please, Yuuri…" he couldn't even add his trademark musical note to the precious male's name.

The Great Sage was useless, a pile of junk, dreck in Conrad's mind, he should have gotten rid of that nuisance who constantly put his Maoh in danger as if it was a game. He wanted to strangle him, run him through with his blade, have him drown, push him off a cliff maybe. How could the Great Sage be so deceptively _useless_ was a fact unknown to him.

His murderous thoughts didn't stop to that little shit dirt though. No. His anger at his own uselessness was taking his despicable hate to heights that were certainly better left unknown to any being.

"Yu~u-ri…" he choked as he fought not to let the tears fall, both for the fact that his charge wouldn't react and that his terrible thoughts made him unworthy of holding the young man's unstained hand.

The double black remained still, the steady rise and fall of his chest the only indication that he was still living. His skin looked terribly pale and white, like milk, within the tent. Conrad could only believe his memory of a much healthier looking male, with a very slight and delicate tan, proof that he loved to play in the sun, with his knight, preferably. The brown haired male had to try hard to remember himself that those, only slightly callused hands were strong, they could hold a sword, like he had so thoughtfully taught him, and they could swing a bat like no one else.

The king looked so frail, when he was always so energetic! It was a bad stroke of fate which decided to give him this deceptively fragile looking body.

Suddenly very aware of his king's frail appearance (as he'd been staring for quite a while), the brown eyed knight took one more liberty. He laid next to his king on the makeshift bed, wounding, with extreme care, his long arms around the still frame, embracing him as if he could protect him better this way.

Maybe his feelings for the young monarch were no longer quite as pure as a simple want for "protection", he pondered that as he softly brushed stray bangs on the youth's forehead. It was a completely unwanted and unfamiliar type of realization that came to him as he let his hand rest on the unconscious double black's shoulder.

Yes, Conrad was proud before, to say and sincerely think of his king as he would a child, _his_ child, even. But somehow, he had been quickly disenchanted when Yuuri himself had considered him like a very part of himself. Because Yuuri was no longer Yuuri without Conrad by his side, and likewise, Conrad couldn't be Conrad without a Yuuri to longingly look at and protect.

Their relation was strange to many eyes, even to their owns. So there was no other way but to think that they were like one and the same.

Conrad wasn't Yuuri's best friend, because that was Murata. He wasn't the king's faithful servant, because Yuuri gave him way too much consideration for that. They weren't family of any kind, not just because they weren't related by blood, but because, be it a brother or a parent, it was obvious that their relationship was not so restricted, and Conrad was definitely _not_ the brother type that Yuuri was used to (aka Shori). He wasn't even intimately bound to the king, as it was Wolfram's place.

Finally they weren't lovers, no matter how many times Wolfram tried to find evidences of that last possibility or argued about it, they weren't that; for more than one reason too: first they didn't do _those_ sorts of _things_, and secondly, even lovers wouldn't quite have that same relationship. No. Lovers were jealous and possessive, but Conrad hadn't fought against Yuuri's and Wolfram's engagement. Although he wanted nothing more than to have Yuuri's eyes on him only and the exclusivity to touch the king's skin; he hadn't lifted a finger against his brother. Jealousy was _not_ something that he'd force on his precious charge, nor was possession. If anything was to be possessed it was him, Conrad Weller. Yuuri was free. He was there to make sure of it. He would make sure that his king wouldn't be caged by anyone, although he let Wolfram's sick jealousy work a little, against his better judgment at times, just because it drove away much more dangerous sharks that he, himself, had no right to woo off, like "noble" _women_.

Those breasts wearing beasts that Yuuri seemed so weak against. Real pythons in sheep skins patiently waiting for a moment to pounce on the innocent pray and eat him whole. Even if the king was now more rational and less overly innocent than a few years prior, he was still so overly trusting and never even _allowed_ himself to see people's perversions, their hunger for power, or any other dirty sides. Because of this, his retainers remained terribly worried whenever the double black had to attend to meetings, or balls. Their eyes were always almost sticking and burning on different parts of the blissfully unaware young man's anatomy, praying that no evil would dare to do the same.

And so, with such depressing thoughts in mind, uncaring if anyone decided to check up on him and his king, the double brown knight fell into a fitful sleep, monarch still nestled in his arms.

This night, he dreamt of balls, where his king was there, trapped and out of reach as half human monsters festered on the crying youth's flesh, no one hearing his distressed screams and ignoring the swinging, bloody blade that didn't seem to reduce the number of his enemies. (A.N.: Ah, nightmares! I love to write gore…)

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><p><strong>Back to Yuuri, <strong>**(the moving one):**

Briscella Geigen Huber…and to think that they had been all the way out of the castle just to escape the very man. Their luck was rotten. Of that much Yuuri was sure, especially when he spotted the very obvious bandage that covered the man's nose.

Worst, he still vividly remembered his last encounter with the man: it was right in the middle of the gardens, when the man had been striding up to his cousin. For what purpose, he never knew and will probably never care for.

But at the time Gwendal had looked very bothered by the intrusion, and Conrad looked _meek_! Can anyone believe that? Ever since he had fallen into that alternative world, Conrad had been strong and just as fiery as his little brother was in Yuuri's original world (must be something about their ages and experiences or something). At that moment, it was like he had wanted to be forgotten in a corner. It was because of this, that Yuuri had felt the sudden need to protect his "not yet knight".

Huber had looked so very aggressive in his approach, people had even started gathering around, while still remaining at a "more than safe" distance. The Maoh herself was there, looking sadly at the scene as if she knew that something would happen but was forbidden to do anything, which was probably the case.

Yosak who was around had started his own approach, like he was ready to do something he knew would regret. And because Yuuri knew all too well that something bad was going to happen, he had stopped in his tracks, waiting, and ready to act up. He was very ready for action shall anything untoward happen to either his retainers, as Huber's personality and appearance was a complete one eighty from what he was used to (except maybe from his very first meeting where he still ignored the light grey haired male's identity). It was like seeing him being possessed.

Then it happened: the insults.

Huber was almost _spitting_ at his brown haired knight's face, as if the man was nothing more that trash. Actually, he just spat his breeding like it was poison burning his tongue. And then turned to is wrinkling cousin, it was clear in his speech that he was asking for the "dirty human things" to be removed from his sight. As it was, it was like he had just woken up with an "I'm going to make someone's life miserable" mood. This someone happened to be Conrad. But from the practiced patience, it looked like it wasn't the first time that he had woken up with _that_ mood and confronted his cousin about it.

Yuuri didn't remember everything that was said, his ears had that angered buzz within them. But he did know that something _fatal_ must have been said, the last strike for him, who respected and loved his daily savior, it was obviously the last strike for more than just him, because others were also ready to pounce the older demon. The only difference was that he didn't have a weapon, and that he was the fastest to react, maybe because of that very fact.

Yosak had looked surprised as his words were stolen right from his opened mouth, from a source a little ways behind him and to his right. It was angry, no, furious! And no one clearly remembered the servant's rambling apart from the fact that it was countering the obnoxious noble's previous statements. But it was so fast and break-free that the exact words were entirely lost to all of the witnesses.

All they remembered were the actions, and not the words, in the end, words were just a useless mean to get to something more.

Conrad had been obviously surprised, and if he had been ready to tone down anyone else, from his older brother to Yosak, whom he would have protected from punishment if he could still help it, he was so completely dumbstruck by the servant's outburst that his brain had frozen. No one could blame him: he always thought that the man disliked him. The first day he hadn't looked anything more than a bit disrespectful by calling him so casually by name, but within the days that followed he looked down right disappointed in the half-breed, like he had somehow done something to bring about the cold shoulder from the younger one.

But now Yuuri was screaming at a _noble_ his qualities, his faithfulness, his courage, his strength, everything. Now, the servant was looking down right _pissed_ at a powerful pure blooded _demon_ and _scolding_, and shaking his fists because the man had _insulted_ Conrad's _worth_.

It was so surprising at the moment that his brain had just short-circuited.

The Maoh was looking much too satisfied and happy for the situation, proud even as the young man was loudly proclaiming her son's "perfectness", though the description looked a bit strange, she was still very grateful. Had she not been the Maoh, she would have hugged the young male and cried happily, maybe "reward" him with a close meeting with her ample bosom…(though that would probably suffocate the poor thing and kill him).

Gwendal, next to his brother was also surprised, though it showed less, and he was mostly scarred, for the servant was much less easy to protect from the anger that was sure to burst from his prideful cousin than anyone else. He readied his sword as fast as he could when the telltale signs of impending fury showed on Huber's face.

Even so, he was too late.

The fact that he was just being insulted by a mere half-breed _servant_ must have been an easy trigger. And in an instant he was right in face to the insolent male. And Yuuri had his eyes stubbornly staring straight into the noble's ones, intent on showing the weight of his beliefs, of his absolute assurance in what he was saying. Although his mind was just rambling and he let his lips spill the rambling thoughtlessly, knowing that only the truth of his heart was getting out, without needing to hear his own claims, he knew that what he said was for his knight's honor only.

The rant wasn't finished when it happened, but the words had long since become unimportant, easy to forget, useless. All that mattered was the fervent determined look that was given the grey haired noble, and the said noble's enraged eyes trying to burn themselves into the smaller man's large ones. But Yuuri's determination was too unwavering, too deep, and Huber clearly announced his lost battle when, in rage, he finally struck.

There was even a sickening crack as the noble's fist met with the disguised double black's jaw. That sure as hell wasn't an engaging slap, of that much Yuuri could be sure. Fortunately, before the demon decided to engage into a murderous cat fight with the fallen servant, Yosak and Gwendal had finally gotten out of shock.

No one, even the concerned male knew what thought process brought Gwendal to literally break his cousin's nose with a well placed strike with the flat of his sword. One would say it was the fear of an irreparable incident happening, others would affirm that it was because he wanted to strike back at the other male, a sort of vengeance for hurting both his brother and his servant (with which he had an undetermined relationship).

Then the redheaded spy who had quickly moved, sword drawn, in front of the fallen servant, still confused but determined not to let the defenseless half be pummeled to death. If the strange youth would so fiercely protect his captain and childhood friend's honor, then he, as a friend as well, would protect his body with his life.

* * *

><p>Later, that fateful day, Gisela had carefully healed the young half, while Huber had gone somewhere else to be healed by Julia, whom Yuuri still had to see in this alternate world.<p>

Yuuri woke quite fully from his remembrance, and went back to the present which happened to be right into Von Voltaire's office, to see that he was the obvious target of a rather spiteful light-grey haired noble. But then again, he might not be the only target, as the maids and Yosak who had so gleefully dragged him to this very room were still clinging to him, and with the maids holding his back it was like they were displaying his body to the angered glaze.

"Hummmm, Hi?" he sheepishly smiled to the room's occupants, though it only seemed to anger the proud demon further.

"Hmph! I did not expect my _cousin_ to be so _slack_ as to allow for mere underlings to tumble upon his working site without demanding retribution!" Huber accusingly pointed out.

"Are you asking me to issue judgment _cousin_, right after your shameful display as well…" Gwendal none too gently retorted.

Then with a grimace, the other noble seemed to take a few seconds both to regain dignified composure as well as a good come back.

"Are you insulting me in favor of this- this _inferior being_?" he roared.

'Oi, oi! Who's the 'inferior being' there? You better not be including Conrad and Yosak in that one either!' Yuuri silently complained, but otherwise remained as calm as possible, it wouldn't do well for anyone, most specifically his jaw, if he decided to act up again.

"Or maybe the _rumors_ actually have some solid grounds? Giving this underling the thought that he has the right to talk back to one of noble blood, interrupt your work and even what could have been a military meeting, for any sort of foolish purposes! I wouldn't have thought that you would fall so _low_ as to actually fancy a _human_!" this time the noble looked like he wanted to laugh to further show his disappointment, unfortunately he was too bad an actor for that, so he just ended with a stupid, crazed looking grin, that definitely didn't belong to the repentant Huber that Yuuri was used to.

Gwendal looked like some type of animal by this point, and the double black almost expected him to pounce from behind his desk so he could choke his _beloved_ cousin to death. Conrad was hardly better. Actually, as Yuuri shifted his eyes to avoid staring straight into anyone's eyes, his knight's fists were spasmodically clenching and unclenching, as if he was secretly harboring views on how much strength would be necessary to break the fellow warrior's muscular neck. A thought that, yet again, Yuuri would rather _not_ associate with his ever gentle, sweet and caring godfather.

"Are you hinting at something?" the dark-grey haired male tentatively replied, daring his opponent to continue on this line.

"Hmph! If you're going to impregnate a _reject_ such as that, at least teach your bitch to have proper standing." He smirked, this time pulling Yuuri into the blind fury.

"EXCUSE ME? I'm not a WHORE! And there's no way you could have heard such rumors! Are you just making this up 'cause you're sore about the other day? You're sick! Even accusing your own family! There's no way that I'm-!" the double black began to rant, it was already starting to be a known fact here as well, that once the Yuuri would begin to get on a rant, he couldn't be stopped,…and that his loose tongue was a real trouble maker.

"You're calling ME a _liar_! How dare you! Do you think you are in any position to question a _lord_?" Huber lashed at the teen, and Yosak was starting to wonder if he'd have the time to react before it was too late to protect his impudent charge in such close quarters.

"I'm just saying that there was _nothing_, absolutely nothing that could have even_ hinted_ that Gwendal, or anyone really, would use me like a-a-…a _courtesan_!" he proudly revealed as he remembered his earlier term, much less crude than _whore, _or_ slut_, or _bitch_, or any other thing, though consort might have had a nicer ring to it…**NO**! He was NOT letting his brain go on a vacation at such a time!

But when he turned for support from the maids who had ceased to support his back, he was only met with guilty stares. And he seriously _hoped_ that they hadn't _dared_!

"We-we're sorry… We just… It was a misunderstanding. We were only saying that because,…you know…err-…" Doria replied wringing her hands nervously, a gesture that the other maids didn't take long in copying.

'I seriously DO NOT KNOW! What the hell goes through their heads anyway? I know that they're just asking for a bit of entertainment, but _still_! How am I supposed to get out of this mess now?' Yuuri silently pondered while wearing a shocked look on his face.

"Hmph! And you were saying?" Huber cockily asked, mock indignation all over his handsome face.

'I'm really, REALLY glad that he changed! Huber! My Huber! Once I get back home I'm gonna kiss you strong and wet and soundly, and tell you how glad I am that you're NOT that freakin' jerk anymore! I'm sure Nicola will approve too!' the double black vowed, though he was mostly reminding himself that he had a home to return to, and motivating himself a bit more to find a solution to his current predicament (aka, being stuck in a land where people absolutely want to see you as some male concubine!).

"Plus you just showed your total lack of respect! A mere servant like you is not allowed to speak unless authorized to!" the light grey haired male added.

"Actually, it's "not allowed to speak unless spoken to", and I do believe that you were quite straightly addressing to him, my lord." Yosak replied smoothly.

"Yet he was not. And you should remember your place as well, _Gurrier_! I can't even see which one is being more of a bad influence. You. Or _that_. Besides that, shouldn't all males that have come of age have been asked to join in service? Or maybe that disgusting half-breed thinks he outrights the call from his nation?" Huber accusingly pointed out, the people in the room visibly tensed, though for many different reasons, some very unknown.

"_This_ is obviously not fit for battle… Such a minor add would be useless, and maybe even an hindrance on the battle field. Serving at the castle is also part of being a patriot: he's helping the Maoh, and the staff is an important moral supporter for the weary troops." Gwendal calmly replied, glad that the servant outburst didn't degenerate this time around.

'Oh thanks Gwendal, that _really_ lifted my mood… And _why_ am I back to being the _thing_?' the disguised Maoh internally complained.

"That remains a woman's job! And that doesn't forgive his impudent accusations! I ask, in my right, to have him punished." the noble complained.

'What about _your_ accusations? So it's okay for you to insult others, but not the other way around?' Yuuri, yet again, refrained from voicing his complaints out loud.

But the demand was already forcing out outraged gasps and angered growls as the double black was obviously not the only one thinking along those lines. Conrad in particular (he must really have made an impression on the man the other day) decided to stand in-between the innocent enough servant and the much too spiteful noble, thoughtlessly pushing the innocent cart out of anyone's way in the process of doing so.

"W-wait please! We were the ones who pushed Yuuri into coming here unannounced! We even pushed him into the room, you saw us! Please forgive him!" Lasagna pleaded, fully supported by the agreeing nods from the other two maids.

But Yuuri already knew that it was in vain, the man just really held a grudge against him, he had it coming for him. All the maids' complaints might just lead to them sharing his obscure fate.

So he simply rested his left hand on Conrad's right arm, pushing the soldier slightly aside so he could see Huber as he spoke.

"It's fine! Coming here on my own or not isn't the problem, right? It's just me who couldn't hold my temper because that _lord_ was being a jerk without manners or dignity! A pervert who just believes everyone's, who's not him, is no more than a _hooker_! Probably because he's too self-centered to get any!" the disguised Maoh proclaimed, pointing at the noble's direction with his right hand, while the other still bather in the reassuring warmth of his knight, although he wasn't _his_ anymore.

He knew he was getting it too far to protect the maids and turn the sour lord's attention back to only him. He could see it by the way Huber's eyes were enraged and almost looking like flames would be sprouting from his heated glare anytime soon. He could guess it by the way Gwendal dropped his head in despair into his awaiting hands, elbows digging on the surface of his desk. He was clearly sure of it by the chronic twitching in Conrad's eyebrow the tenseness of his muscles. And finally, any hope for the situation to get better were crushed, as Yosak couldn't help himself and puffed out a bit as he desperately tried to repress his hysteric laugh.

Finally, the redhead could no longer hold back the pressure and dropped to the ground, laughing out loud, probably because of Yuuri's hint at Huber's lack of…intimate relationship, because he was peeved like that. It took some rolling and roaring laughter before Geigen Huber finally broke out of his murderous thoughts to get into action.

And all hell broke loose.

"This. Is. IT!" he roared as he, none too gently, elbowed Conrad completely out of his way to get to the other insolent half.

The laughter immediately stopped as Huber took a hold of the servant's pale and delicate neck and quite obviously readied for an attack.

Conrad immediately reacted by circling the noble's right arm in his own, as it was obviously in position for a painful punch, once again aimed at the beautiful face. Gwendal was at his half brother's side in a second, trying to tear Huber's hand from its vicious grip on Yuuri's soft throat. Yosak was up in half that time and from the unoccupied right side of Yuuri, tried to punch the arm that was currently chocking the double black.

Yuuri on his part was desperately trying to kick his opponent somewhere where he'd _feel_ it, like his mother had so thoughtfully taught him years ago.

Hands flew haphazardly around the pair, trying to find a way to separate them without actually having to cut an arm.

It was in the middle of this flurry of movements that Yuuri quite distinctively felt a hard slap to his left cheek.

* * *

><p>A.N. Here's the tricky part ^^

I actually finished it faster than I first expected! I'm only a bit bothered by Conrad because he's really hard to get: he is hard to grasp, and, as such, to write. I've tried to implant my vision of his relationship with Yuuri, but it's hard even like that to determine his actions, I can take more liberties with the "past Conrad" because he wasn't seen too much and leaves more to the imagination.

Anyway, comment!

**Break me~ ho~oh, Break, meee~!** (It's starting to get hard to find a good subject for those…)

Somewhere on the road from Blood Pledge castle to Tartarus, a certain group is making its way to the fallen Maoh.

**Gisela:** Say, Anissina-san… You said that some of your contraptions could help his majesty…but…do you really think that _all_ of them were necessary? *points to the huge cart full of…_things_*

**Gunter:** What are you talking about Gisela? If ANYthing on this planet has, even the slightest of chances, to save his majesty, then isn't it normal to bring them all? Ahh~ Majesty! Please be safe~! I, Gunter von Christ, your ever faithful servant swear that I will do _everything_ to bring your highness back to me-I mean-us~! *cries*

**Anissina:** *completely ignores Gunter along with Gisela* Well, since his majesty's precise condition is yet unknown, I thought that I'd bring as many of my inventions as I could, but don't worry, I've still made a selection.

**Gisela:** What sort of selection?

**Anissina:** Glad you asked! *cheerful* Well, since his majesty is said to have plunged into a sort of sleep, I thought I'd bring all my "wake-the-dead-kun" tries!

**Gunter:** W-wake the d-dead? But his majesty hasn't died yet! *sobs harder*

**Gisela:** How are they supposed to be efficient? Have you tested them yet? *glances meaningfully to her weeping father*

**Anissina:** No, actually I wanted to wait for a better opportunity. Unfortunately, I had promised his majesty not to create any death-inducing machines or poisons. So I couldn't try them… *looks sad and disappointed*

**Gunter:** Stop talking like his majesty was dead! *cries uncontrollably and makes even the soldiers want to comfort him*

**Gisela:** *still ignoring her father* I-I see… Well anyway, since I'm the one in charge of healing, if possible, could you explain them _before_ trying them on the kings defenseless body?

**Anissina:** Of course! Well, then! First let me present you: Spicky-sparky-thorny-10inch-strap-on-kun!

**Gisela: **…

**Gunter: …**

**Soldiers: … *getting pale with realization***

**Gisela:** Tell me it is NOT what I believe this is…

**Anissina:** I guaranty that no-one would be able to remain asleep should Spicky-sparky-thorny-10inch-strap-on-kun be used on them.

**Gunter:** NooooooooooooO! *faints*

**Gisela:** Even so… Please refrain from using this thing on any living thing…I can't guaranty its survival even with my healing abilities… And internal bleeding is NOT one of my forts.

**Anissina:** Oh well… *throws away Spicky-sparky-thorny-10inch-strap-on-kun* Then, next is: Surprise-instant-death-potion-kun, it burns you throat, melts down your stomach, and if used well, can make you cry blood. Can be used pure or diluted, but I advise against exceeding the recommended dose unless you don't want your body to be found again.

**Gisela:** …I-interesting…

**Anissina:** Yes, I used the best qualities and proportions of nitric acid, arsenic, cyanide and-

And so. Rejected inventions after (obviously) failed inventions, the demons slowly made their way to their poor king, unaware of his precarious fate. The road they took was soon renamed the "devil's path" by locals, as the sudden appearance of torturous devices along with the plaintive cries which preceded these appearances remained unexplainable.


	7. Proposals hurt

**At your service**

**A.N.:** Thanks everyone for their reviews! I'm happy that some of you review the different chapters, as it lets me know that you keep enjoying and reading! Even if you got nothing important to say, it's nice to inform me whenever you saw something funny, or if something's lacking, or even just if you liked the chapter,.. or not (you've got the right! XD).

On a side note, this chapter will let you know what happened with Huber!

I like to make a little jump before going back to the past. Just 'cause, I don't like to repeat myself, and that I sometimes feel like there are certain moments where it is more appropriate to slightly ignore an action, just to have it summarized at a better opportunity.

As for Yuuri's and Shinou's meeting, it's the same, it'll come later, when Yuuri has a time to reflect on it, because at the time, I didn't want to abandon Yosak's perspective for such a long while (Forgetting the redhead for too long at the time didn't seem like the right choice to make).

Anyway, onward!

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Proposal hurts<strong>

**Back to where Conrad has gotten into Yuuri's bed**** (not like **_**that**_** you pervs!):**

"Conrad-!" Gwendal started as he entered the Maoh's tent, but quickly stopped himself as he saw the picture laid out on the king's bed.

Here were, his little brother, respected knight, worshiped like a role model by all his subordinates, _snuggling_ and _cuddling_ with the Maoh, first class double black demon lord, loved by all, respected, but also feared through his powerful magic. The dark grey haired lord could do nothing but let his jaw hit the floor.

Of course, he quickly gathered himself back together and settled for a twitching eyebrow and frown, a much more common expression for him.

He observed the two uneasily for a moment. It was night already and he had just gotten back in there to get the brown clad soldier's ass out of their monarch's tent, as he had tried to do so every other previous nights. Without much success, but that wasn't the point now. If he let things get out of hand like that, soon big problems would arise (aka, Wolfram). It wasn't needed to wonder what Conrad's feelings for his little majesty were, or would be whenever he decided to look at them. Gwendal knew, simply because he was just the same.

The idea of waking his young brother up grazed his mind, but he quickly decided against it as he spotted the tell tale damp remains on the brown haired male's lashes. No matter what the situation was, it seemed that he would never be able to say anything to his siblings whenever they started to be in any sort of pain.

The biggest problem being that, if he let things that way, Wolfram would be sad, or most probably irritated enough to set fire to the whole castle, and if he tried to act, Conrad would be the one to break. Even rationality could not have him decide, be it sentimentally or truly objectively viewing the situation, he just couldn't decide.

Wolfram was young and he really did seem to love Yuuri, although in his own violent way, and taking his love away would be terrible… But Conrad had already gone through so many hardships, so many wounds and scars, it was a miracle for him to be able to love again, it was just too cruel on fate's part to have it be Yuuri that he loved, a taken man, part of the highest nobility at that.

Also, Wolfram _is_ a noble, a very high ranked one too. And Yuuri was a king, so their union wasn't shocking to the other nobles, well except for von Spitzberg, but he didn't count. On the other hand, Conrad was a half human, no maryoku flowed in his veins; he was not part of the Demon nobility clan and didn't have any special relations to anyone outside of the very object of his affections. But his actions and exploits could easily be rewarded greatly, his faithfulness be proven, his good standing be approved, plus his sword skills remained unmatched and his love for his king absolute.

Besides, Yuuri had worked hard for half-breeds to finally be considered as equals by the other demons. Truth be told, at a time he had even confided in Gwendal the possibility to give Conrad noble status, and the only things keeping that decision to be made were that it also meant that his precious knight would probably have to leave Yuuri's side and never be able to be with him the same way as it was now, and Conrad's sure refusal, for the very same reasons. But if Conrad were to be a noble, and if an engagement between them made and accepted, it'd be a definite step forward to show the king's wish for harmony between demons and half-breeds. But then more troubles might come from the ten nobles.

Gwendal himself wasn't sure of how he'd react… Thinking of his two brothers like that made him realize how he was completely out of the competition. Sometimes he wished he hated his brothers, so he could think a bit about himself…

A move from the bed brought back his attention to the present. Of course it was Conrad who moved, the other option being too much to hope for right now.

"…Brother?" the double brown soldier softly asked, still half asleep and unsure, feeling dread creep up inside of him at the prospect of being kicked away from his king's side, knowing full well that being caught red-handed in this position would be no good for him. Not to mention how ashamed of himself he should be: a trained soldier with the duty to guard the Maoh shouldn't be this laid back!

But the imperceptible waver in his brother's voice tore through Gwendal's heart, rendering him unable to pronounce what he knew should be his incontestable judgment. His brows knitted together and his deep sea colored eyes shook with internal turmoil.

Finally, he sighed, defeated and weary from the fight he had to endure all by himself. He made his way to the bed without a word, making his stubbornly unmoving brother tense with anticipation. From his position, back to the tent's entrance, Conrad could only listen to the sounds of shifting clothes fabric and leather as his brother moved in close to the makeshift bed.

After a moment longer than what the brown haired male could comprehend, the bed shifted as his brother's weight was forced upon it. The soldier confusedly observed as the bootless feet strode over his and Yuuri's bodies to settle down on the other side of the bed. His jacketless brother carefully kneeled down on the bed, unbuttoning the firsts few buttons of his long sleeved shirt and removing his belt, which he had forgotten to get rid off before climbing over.

Throwing the leather belt somewhere to the ground behind Conrad, the dark grey haired demon finally settled on the unoccupied side of his monarch. Leaving his little brother's arm where it was, circling the youth's shoulders, the demon lord settled his own arm somewhere over the king's belly, letting his hand rest on a slightly bony hip. All the while, his eyes remained deeply etched into his little brother's ones, searching for opposition.

"Should this be out little secret then?" Gwendal finally asked.

The still flabbergasted knight could do nothing but give a small nod. Internally he tried to search for a possible trail of thoughts that could have led his older brother to take this course of action, but his brain still intent on sleeping couldn't seem to find an answer yet, so he simply decided to go back to the world of dreams.

After all, they were both completely above the light cover that stuck to the slim figure standing between them, so it wasn't like they were obviously doing anything completely untoward to their king. Except for the sleeping-on-his-bed-without-permission thing.

Gwendal on the other hand took some time, shifting around and moving before he managed to find the right position to sleep.

But strangely, for the first time since the "incident", both managed to fall into peaceful, nightmare-less slumber.

* * *

><p><strong>Back to the problem at hand<strong>** in the other dimension:**

_Hands flew haphazardly around the pair, trying to find a way to separate them without actually having to cut an arm._

_It was in the middle of this flurry of movements that Yuuri quite distinctively felt a hard slap to his left cheek._

"Ah…" Yuuri weakly tried to form a sentence as he seemed to suddenly realize that the world had stopped around him, except that Huber was still in the process of choking him to death, which was much more painful than the slap.

Said noble was just as dumbstruck and shocked as the rest of the room occupants, cowering maids included. Even the one who had made the fate changing move was frozen, as if he thought that his arm had been guided by some unknown force of ungodly nature (damn you Shinou!).

After a small, shaky breath was let out, Huber finally released Yuuri's neck from his crushing grip, slowly bringing his hand back to his side, as if afraid to make sudden moves. It took a few more deep and calming breaths before he regained his composure, although he was the only one that had managed such a thing yet. All the others present, except Yuuri who was still trying to regain his lost respiration, were just frozen on their respective spots, a matter that seemed to greatly anger the grey haired noble.

Which is why he decided to break the "ice".

"S-so… It seems like I was right from the very beginning…" he began, but his voice still lacked any real bite.

Truth be told, he hadn't believed a single word he had thrown at his cousin, and maybe only a half of those he threw at Conrad. But now, with what just happened, to have his lies become some sort of twisted reality, he was at a loss of what to do or say.

"…" Gwendal couldn't even utter a retort to this; he himself couldn't believe his own actions.

Just a moment ago, things were going crazy. All he could proceed at that time was the sense of urgency, as the innocent servant, whom he had somehow befriended and who had done his best to uphold his little brother's honor, was in terrible danger. Although, Conrad had somehow managed to keep Huber's punch at bay, he had seen the youth losing his breath and the fingers holding the delicate neck bruising the skin and digging into it in the most disturbing fashion. The sight had been too much. But even so, he couldn't, for the life of him, remember his thinking pattern at the moment, at least the one that drove him to do _this_!

He brought his shaking right hand to his face, looking at it as if it was not part of his body.

He had done the only thing that had somehow made sense at the moment: he had slapped the boy, proclaiming him his, raising him to a higher rank where Huber would probably lose his arm for touching the younger man so impudently. It was a little late to think about all the implications, all the consequences of this single act…but a moment prior, it really didn't seem like there could be any other choice.

Cut his cousin's arm; let his servant friend die from suffocation; do something to keep Huber's hands off of Yuuri… Such had been his choices, which, all in all, didn't really leave him with many options…

So he had chosen that way out: slapping the reddish haired servant's left cheek with his right hand, a sure symbol that he claimed the man to his bed… Just the though made him want to verify that he wasn't blushing like some stupid, sixty years old little demon girl.

Next to the dark grey haired male, Conrad was just as dumbstruck. He had been so focused on containing Huber's insane strength, that he hadn't understood the sudden stop right away. Ho, he had heard the slap, alright. But it had taken some time for his mind to _proceed_ Yuuri's reddening cheek and his older brother's awkwardly out stretched hand.

When the reality of the situation had finally dawned upon him, like ice cold water, he had released his enemy's, now limp, arm, and settled for looking a bit like a dead fish out of water… An expression that seemed to have taken residence on Yosak's face as well.

The maids and soldiers on their sides were frozen in anticipation. The scene that had unfolded before their very eyes had brought them infinite excitement within a very restrained period of time, and the protagonists, which now seemed like their brains had taken a break, unnerved them greatly.

Finally, after much breathing and gasping and rubbing at his _very_ sore and bruised throat, Yuuri finally managed to get back on track. Only, as was usual for him, he seemed like the only one left out of the important situation. For one, he didn't, for a second, understand why everyone was acting so tense when obviously the fight had ended, although he didn't know how, and that the bitch who had slapped him was going to hear about it!

"What's wrong now? Did you all suddenly got constipated or something? You people should be careful of your health…" he panned, as the current situation really didn't seem to make any sense. "And who the hell slapped me?" he asked, angered about the unnecessary pain that had, once again, befallen him.

His comment seemed to wake most of the room's occupants from their trance, maybe because someone had finally decided to talk normally, or maybe because his words were absolute confirmation that, yes, Yuuri had just been slapped.

"Y-you…don't seem too shocked…" Yosak uneasily began, though he would have preferred it if Huber had gone off some other place.

"Shocked of what?" the disguised double black questioned, still completely lost about the whole situation.

"About the fact that lord von Voltaire just-just-! GAH! He-he-he s-slapped you! On the left cheek! He asked you in an engagement!" Doria exclaimed, though she did so while somehow trying to whisper that fact to Yuuri who was now bent slightly backward by her.

"Huh? What? HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH?" a slight bit of realization suddenly struck Yuuri, it was after all, the very same thing that had him end up in a joke of an engagement to Wolfram, even after all these years, it was impossible to forget the very thing that now poisoned his very existence.

The fact that, the "servant" had finally realized the consequences of Gwendal's actions, seemed to struck Cherry's two sons with a renewed sense of awkwardness. Plus, Yuuri's reaction was very strong…

"Hmph! I guess you're satisfied, _whore_! Since you've got what you sought." Huber huffed and readied to leave, unable to remain here with all those disgusting beings who brought him shame.

"W-what? I never _asked _for that!" the wig wearing Maoh exclaimed, although he was now more afraid of causing _Gwendal_ trouble, rather than having troubles himself, it wasn't his place after all, and he would most certainly do everything to return to his own dimension, but all those other people were a different matter.

"What the hell are you talking about Yuuri! This king of thing, such opportunity only happens in _dreams_! **Dreams**! You hear me? To be chosen as the Maoh's first son's _consort_, it's incredible!" Lasagna argued, none too gently taking a hold of Yuuri's left ear to whisper harshly in his ear, of course it was completely useless, as all of the small room's occupants could clearly ear what was "whispered".

"Bu-but that was an accident! Wasn't it? Gwe-I mean-lord von Voltaire didn't really…you know… Right? P-plus…isn't this tradition only applicable to _nobles_?" Yuuri asked, unsure and most of all, not ready to say all the things that went through his brain right now. So he just settled for giving the tall, dark and ominous demon lord a cute puppy look.

Gwendal was a bit taken aback by the cute look, but as he revised his options, with all the witnesses and Huber still not clearly out of the room, he realized that, as a noble, a man who was supposed to uphold his own beliefs and decisions, he couldn't just call off the sudden engagement. So he did what any _real_ noble should do: he accepted the consequences of his foolish actions, and kneeled before the now flailing youth. His actions surprising the witnesses of this grand moment.

"Ahem. Although this proposal may only offer you a status of consort, I, Gwendal von Voltaire, who represents the house of Voltaire's, member of the ten noble's houses, shall ask you to become the one and only for me, for as long as life may accord us to be together." He declared as he took the young servant's trembling hand in his.

"Wuh…Wha-what! Ahhhh-errrr-hummmm… I-it might be… just a little bit too sudden for me to take like that…mind if just go, I dunno, lay somewhere over there for, say…a few years? I'm sure you don't…" The very shocked-still double black uttered as he made his way into the farthest corner of the room, disentangling his hand from Gwendal's, and slumped there, trying to find his way out of trouble, as well as _Gwendal's_ way out.

Gwendal was a noble, while he, at this time and in this dimension, was just a servant. Flatly saying no, in front of so many witnesses (damn you Huber and damn you maids!), would most certainly strike a terrible blow to his "nobilish pride"… it may even have bad repercussions all over… But he couldn't possibly say "Yes, of course, I'll marry you, a man, now let's us make a lot of gallivanting children before I have to return to my life, which is twenty or so years into the future!"… Yeah, right, like _that_ would work out…

He felt like crying.

Gwendal who had been staring at the youth, along with the other room occupants, and waiting for an answer, bore a slightly sad and defeated look. It wasn't like he could have expected anything else, but it still hurt to be half-rejected. Now he really didn't want to feel what total, flat out rejection felt like…but maybe this sense of precariousness and anxious waiting was much worse than a straight refusal…

"I see… I guess I was too forward, please forgive my impudence…" the dark grey haired demon apologized, though his tone was miserable and lacked any sense of vitality.

"Hmph! What a shame! Seeing you, Lord von Voltaire, a member of the ten noble's families, acting so meek and helpless because of a mere underling, one of inferior race no less! You're a disgrace! Unworthy of your title!" Huber mocked; relishing in the fact his cousin couldn't seem to find a good retort.

Although his words did bring Yuuri out of his reverie, a fact that didn't went unnoticed by the other two half-breeds. Whom had merely a few seconds to panic, before something needed to be done. Unexpectedly, they were saved…or not.

"You're still so mean, Hube! Of course anyone would be a bit sad if your love wasn't reciprocated right away! Well, that never happened to me but…I remember this one time: the guy was cute as pie, unfortunately I was still engaged at the time and couldn't answer to his feelings! But when lord von Biefield and I finally got together! He wouldn't stop telling me how sad he had been! Teehee~!" Cherry jokingly and seductively (because she can do so much at the same time) teased the noble man as she made her appearance.

Yuuri, who had been in the process of getting up to give his two cents to Huber-asshole, simply stared at the new arrival. He also hoped to find his way out of this mess.

"Maoh! Err- Your majesty! W-what brings you there at such an hour and place?" Huber stuttered as his aunt stepped inside the room.

"Your ruckus." She deadpanned. Swiftly side stepping the male who just spoke, she made her way to her sons.

The disguised double black watched with a certain degree of curiosity as for each step bringing the Maoh closer to her beloved children, said beloved children's faces became more and more frightened and wide eyed, as if they were expecting something absolutely horrible (like a death hug) to happen any second. Finally she stopped, smiling like a thousand suns at their zenith in a clear day, she let go of a little gleeful sound, that could only be called a "giggle of doom", as she shone full force right in front of Gwendal's terrified face.

"Marvelous~! Oh, I'm so happy that my little baby found someone to love~! Don't worry, your mother will assist you in your first love quest! Ah~ How romantic! A love that transcend social status! It makes me remember Dan Hiri~!" she ranted, making little nostalgic sighs here and there.

But Gwendal was frozen on the spot, unable to move as his predator was almost as terrible as Anissina herself. He would have tried to explain to his mother that he had just done that to stop Huber from killing the boy, and that he only felt a bit sad because, well… ok, so maybe he didn't have a clear answer as to why he was so obviously disappointed at not being accepted right away… However, now that his mother had gone into "romantic maniac mode", his explanations would only be looked as vain, hopeless means for escape.

As he tried to get a sight of his escape routes, he failed to see an embarrassed Yuuri come close to him, and most specifically his mother. He, therefore, had no chance to stop the youth from trying to vainly bring his mother to reason.

"P-please lady Cherry-I mean-Your majesty the Maoh!" Yuuri called out to gain Cherry's undivided attention, although he felt awfully awkward calling somebody else "Maoh".

"What is it, my sweet step-son~3? You're going to accept are you not? I've seen how you two have looked at each other all along!" she joyfully answered, making the double black in disguise sweat a little.

"N-no…It's not that…you see, Gwendal was just trying to-" he pitifully tried to find a way to keep this woman's fantasies at bay, as he would have never believed that anyone could be tougher than his mother in that department. But, although Cherry might not be quite as "fast forward" and "non-listening" as his mother, she was still extremely well skilled at transforming his words and actions to her will. Being engaged to Wolfram suddenly looked like it _did_ have its share of good things, as he had been spared this sort of confrontation against Cherry, up until now….

On the side of the scene, the double black tried to ignore Yosak's snickers as Conrad asked his friend about "the way they looked at each other" as Cherry had so nicely put it. His future godfather even sounded a bit…possessive?

"You're saying "yes" aren't you? Come on~ don't be so shy Yu~uri!" she cried in glee, obviously overexcited by the whole situation. To make matters worse, the maids were anxiously waiting for his answer…his _positive_ answer, since it looked like he really didn't have a choice in the matter.

"…" the future Maoh remained deadly silent, he couldn't even find anyway to make the balance tip in his favor (A.N.: can't find a proper way to translate my language's saying, sorry if it's too hard to understand, I might change it). He feared that a single sound would end up in his utter defeat…little did he know that not even silence could save him.

"Teehee~! Well, they say "silence is agreement"~! There you have it Gweny! Now all that is left is to make it official to the other nobles! Oh~ I can't _wait_!" she excitedly proclaimed as she ran out of the room with an expression of pure glee, leaving in her wake four completely dumbstruck men, one rolling-on-the-floor-laughing-his-ass-off redheaded spy, three dreamily sighing maids and one abashed cook.

After a few seconds of this awkward moment, Yuuri finally managed to find the _courage_ to run away…

"I…I think, I need some time to myself…and a bath…yeah, a bath sounds good…" Yuuri slowly tried to process what had just happened, but it seemed his brain had a hard time functioning correctly at the moment. So he passed the people in the room and made his way outside, uncharacteristically slumped over.

Getting, one by one, out of their trance, the room's occupants finally decided to leave the room.

Huber gave one last indignant "huff" before leaving to hide in a corner or some other thing.

Shamploo rubbed his temples before he realized something and left after the departing servant, although he wouldn't be that for long.

Yosak, who finally managed to calm his hysteric laughing, got up and left, but not without giving a little playful wink to the two brothers.

The maids departed as well, muttering something about preparing the lord's room or something of the kind.

Finally, Conrad and his older brother were the last two left in the quiet study. It felt like it had been years since calm silence had settled into this very room, and Gwendal's face certainly made that impression all the more realistic. The added wrinkles worried the brown haired male a bit, but he decided not to comment on them, there was just too much on his mind already. And he didn't feel like sharing those things with Yuuri's impromptu fiancé…

Gwendal, for his part, was just as confused as Yuuri had been. He just couldn't comprehend how, why and what happened in here just a moment ago. Everything had happened too fast.

The awkward silence stretched between the two for a moment, before it was finally decided that nothing would come out of this "thinking session".

"I better get going. And I think we should both find a way to calm down for a moment and let things settle down… I doubt that anything right can come out tonight." Conrad finally said.

And with that, he left his brother's study, passing the confused soldiers and telling them to rest for the day, only giving Dorcas a sidelong glance, clearly saying that he wouldn't forget his little 'contribution' to this whole mess. Gwendal let his little brother go with a small nod, only processing the words a few minutes later. Once he did, he couldn't help but agree, and so he went to his next destination: a place to calm down.

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><p>Yuuri was making his way to the servant's bathhouse, he just took the necessary change of clothes and soap from his room a moment before, but his mind was still a blank sheet and nothing seemed to make any sense. Just as the door to blissfulness came into view, so did Shamploo, and the cook looked restless: not a good thing.<p>

"Yuuri! I knew you'd end up coming over there." He panned, looking both relieved and displeased at the same time (rare were those able to do that).

"I did say that I wanted a bath… Is something the _matter_?" the double black asked, though he had enough with the _matters_ at hand already.

"Well… I know it was all kinda sudden…(no kidding), but as you became the lord's official 'consort in waiting' (as you two aren't married yet), I'm sure you realize that your status has changed quite a bit…" the cook started off, the way he uncharacteristically went around the problem did nothing to ease Yuuri's nerves.

"S-sure… Is there, something I should be made aware of then?" he pondered, because that was definitely the case.

"Yes." Shamploo stated, a bit relieved that the 'servant' had guessed right. "The maids have already started going around, and it won't be long before they get your stuff too: since you're supposed to sleep in a…more adequate environment. For the time being it should be your fiancé's room…" he stated, which made Yuuri drop his supplies to the ground in astonishment.

"WHAT? B-but-!" the youth started, panicked by what he was hearing.

"You're also welcome to use the 'guests' bathrooms. Though they're called that, it's really only a few nobles living here who get the privilege of using them…you _know_ what _that_ implies, right?" the blond muscular man asked, making sure that the right words were stressed.

'Right. It means Huber too…' the disguised male acknowledged inwardly, cringing a bit but still answering the older man with a nod.

"Good. I'll show you the way then." Was the simple statement, as the cook turned and began to leave, expecting the other to follow him.

'I guess it was just too good to be true: a steady hour in the morning when no one was in the bath… Now I'll have to be extra careful at all times again…' Yuuri swore as the problem with his hair and eyes took a whole new dimension with this new development. He hadn't thought of that at the time…maybe he should have fought a bit more fervently…

But the disguised Maoh still obediently followed his guide once he had gathered his things. He was much too tired to try to find a way around or argue anymore. All he wished for, was a calm, relaxing bath to think things over. And of course, no one to spoil it.

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><p><strong>A.N.** I actually didn't want to finish the chapter here, but later, however it would have ended up being much longer than all the previous chapters, and I'm trying to be constant here!

Anyway, thank you all for the reviews again! It's really motivating! But do know that the updates from now on might be a little long (it depends of my agenda too), mostly because all the previous chapters had already been written some time before I started posting the story, and all I had to do then was modify a few parts here and there, then re-re-re-read it so there wouldn't be too many English mistakes. (lol there's still a few). But now, there's nothing prewritten, so it'll take some time to do everything. Also, be wary of the many mistakes that I didn't correct because I didn't reread the chapter a day or two after writing it (it's usually better to spot mistakes if you look at them after some time passed, so you're no longer in the heat of the moment).

Anyway, **BREAK**! (Argh! Can't seem to find a good inspiration! Oh well, don't expect too much out of this one).

Somewhere on the castle grounds, some people weren't making a good job at shutting down the rumors concerning the recent events.

**Conrad:** YOSAK! I have a question.

**Yosak:** Sure, no need to yell.

**Conrad:** Do you know what mother meant?

**Yosak:** About what?

**Conrad:** *embarrassed* "The way they looked at each other". Does Yuuri and Gwendal really-

**Yosak:** Wow-wow-wow! Peace, man! I'm sorry but, What's THIS? A bit of _jealousy?_

**Conrad:** N-no! I-I'm not jealous or anything! It's not like I care if Yuuri sends my brother enamored looks or anything! Or if von Voltaire gives him his stuffed animals.

**Yosak:** Huh-huh.

**Conrad:** I don't really…maybe; it just bothers me a little, alright?

**Yosak:** Right… "you don't care" it just "bothers your"… like… You're asking yourself "why not me!" or something? (*XD*)

**Conrad:** EXACTLY!

**Yosak:** *face faults*

**Conrad:** I mean: why him? Why _Gwendal?_ Alright he's a noble, but his face is scary! Everyone at least believes that! Do I look _scary_ to you?

**Yosak:** Maybe a little… Err-I mean-No! But it wouldn't hurt to smile a bit more every now and then… Always looking so fierce like that isn't good!

**Conrad:** *ignores* And he's insanely _tall_! And-and _large,_ and _muscular_ (maybe not as much as Adelbert, but still), and isn't it _weird_ how he likes _cutesy things_?

**Yosak:** Well, the cute compensates for the rest. Anyway, trying to act mature, the both of you are actually pretty similar. All you brothers do is hide your true selves behind what you believe is 'good', yet fail completely at doing so.

**Conrad:** *still ignoring* Why does he like _him_ and _hates_ me?

**Yosak:** *sigh* (planning on ignoring me to the very end? Feh! Watch _this_!) Oh, Yuuri just loves strong men~! When he and I went _alone_ into the _forest_ he couldn't stop _marveling_ at my sumptuous bod~! I mean, look at those biceps! But I must admit he, too, was pretty hot: hunched over those boxes, hard breathing and sweaty~!

**Conrad:** You…_**YOU!**_

**Yosak:** Calm down. I didn't do anything. He was just tired from carrying things over. Apart from that, doesn't he just hate you because you're being an ass every time you two meet?

**Conrad:** *ignores again* HOW COULD YOU, YOSAK? I can't believe it! And yet, you _did_ leave for a _whole day_! What did you two _do_ for a _whole day_?

**Yosak:** Err-nothing much… Anyway, if it bothers you _so much_ that you'd keep track of his every move, just throw the knife and fork: you're the best swordsman in all Shin Makoku after all…

**Conrad:** I can't do that to my brother!

**Yosak:** Then have an affair! Geez! Why do _I_ have to care?

**Conrad:** …I see… *nods and leave*

**Yosak:** Yeah-yeah, and don't forget to keep it a secr-? ...Err… Wait. Wha? HEH? Oh no you DON'T! *runs after Conrad*

***At the same time***

**Gwendal:** MOTHER! ANISSINA! GET _OUT_ OF MY ROOM! I DO _NOT_ NEED ANY OF YOUR **"TOYS"** OR "**ADVICES**"!

***Meanwhile***

**Shamploo:** Is something the matter?

**Yuuri:** I dunno…I've been getting those strange shivers for a while now…It's like Dread, Bad Omen and Not Good decided to have a party all over my spine while, I Am Going To Make Your Life Miserable is having fun under my skin…

**Shamploo:** You've been sneezing quite a lot too…

And Yuuri really wished that someone had thrown down a cliff the idiot who invented the Japanese saying about sneezes and people talking behind your back.


	8. Don't realize you're in love!

**At your service**

**A.N.:** Thanks everyone for their reviews! Again! I didn't expect to have this many in such a short time XD (I have gained a few fans here and there)! Makes me incredibly happy! I even went and made this chapter super fast! (Sunday be damned!). I hope it's not too messy because of this though…I _did_ reread it once…Maybe there's a little incoherent part, but I just can't see a way to fix it without writing three more pages of development XD.

For those who were wondering, I actually had an _extremely_ hard time deciding on who would slap Yuuri myself (lol). I even considered Huber for a moment (but that complicated things even more).

Also, there will probably be a few awkward moments, as was pointed out. Because Gwendal and Conrad _are_ brothers, so having Yuuri standing in the middle might bring out a few weird moments, I'm not sure I'll be able to manage everything. But I'm trying hard not to have the characters end up too weird and have a smooth development as much as possible. That's also why the story is slow sometimes (can you believe a single day takes more than three chapters?).

Anyway, here open up~! This one chapy is for~? *surprise*

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Don't realize that you love me.<strong>

Yuuri slowly let himself sink into the warm, steamy water of the grand 'guests' bath'. It was certainly much wider than the servants' one, more decorated too. The antic Greek like pillars and stone steps were a view that he recognized from somewhere else, probably a design that Cherry or some other Maoh had liked enough to copy, or maybe it was the other way around.

All in all, he didn't give a damn. But the water enveloping the double black's body was heaven on hell.

Yuuri let a sigh of pure bliss escape his lips as he let his naked self relax entirely. Taking refuge close to one of the pillars, so he could stay alert just enough in case someone decided to step in, he had the perfect view of the bathhouse's decorum, and easy access to his wig and lens. He still had no idea on how he was going to hide his double blackness to Gwendal, especially if he was going to sleep next to him.

Revealing his _condition_ had grazed his mind. But he guessed that today was just _not the day_ to do anymore of anything. And with Yosak and Ulrike giving such a strong reaction earlier that day, he guessed that showing this was _not_ a good idea. Who knew what would happen? Something _bad_ surely.

Especially since his only good argument had gone down the drain with his meeting with Shinou.

This place was no past. Not the one he had already visited at least. Well he could have guessed as much already, knowing how no one had ever looked like they had known of some 'Shibuya Yuuri Harajuku Fuuri' before…

No. Here he was, in a completely side _universe_. Or at least that's the conclusion that he and _this_ Shinou reached. No matter how sci-fi that sounded, that was the only explanation they could manage. At least, with Yuuri's level of knowledge over Shoshu and Shinou's plan, the forbidden boxes and the _other world_, there was no way for Shinou to think that he was lying about anything. Besides, he _did_ have the same soul signature as Julia. That alone had thrown Shinou the Great himself off.

But the truth was, that Shinou had a completely different plan here. Or to be more specific, his plan hasn't reached the key stage yet. Although the disposition was perfect (says him), and that the elements in place were indeed a perfect opportunity, Shinou himself was not ready: Shoshu couldn't fuse with his soul just yet, there was just no way.

Concretely that meant a few things.

One, Yuuri would never exist in this dimension –blank pause insert-.

That was a bit shocking, alright. He wasn't even talking about the "whatever his existence here would cause for the actual future" or whatever, no that was complicated enough as it was.

Anyway, there was a "two" too (since there was a "one"): this had been a sort of "key" moment in Shin Makoku's history on Yuuri's side, but in this dimension, it was clear that the future was unsure, although he might unknowingly influence its right course. But if you consider that, Yuuri wasn't to be born in a few years from here on, that also meant that Julia wasn't supposed to die in this war, since she had given her life through her own means at Shinou's demand. It wasn't a sure fact, since the future was always a gamble, especially in war, but still. If Julia didn't die because of Huber's foolishness, there was a chance he wouldn't go in search for the Mateki, meet Nicola, etc. etc.

There was also no definite security in anything anymore. Not in Conrad's survival. Not even in the whole "battle of Rutenberg" business, it might or might not happen.

All in all, his new knowledge brought a whole new meaning on the word _anxiety_ for the poor Maoh in disguise.

But did fate really _had_ to think that _this_ wasn't enough? Now, what more, he was engaged…again through the "slapping method".

Originality had it that he had been on the receiving end of the proposal (ouch!), and that he had switched brothers… Instead of the flaming fury of fiery Wolfram, he had the stony faced, but cute things loving Gwendal.

It wasn't that Gwendal was terrible or anything, he was calm, mature, had a soft side, was easy to tease without you fearing immediate combustion, he wasn't a bad choice! But not for him…or at least he didn't believe so. The older demon had just done that to get his stupid self out of trouble and in the end, they entangled themselves to the whole mess. That had to be it. Point is all.

Gwnedal might seem a bit cold and scary at first glance, he knew about that, but be it in this dimension or the other, both were the same, and so, he had better choices. Yuuri was pretty sure that all he needed to do was smile a bit and girls would come flocking around.

Lucky bastard.

Though, he understood that most of those girls would only be interested in money and power, of that much he had learned.

But the man didn't deserve to be tied to some guy like him, who wasn't even going to stay here. As he was still very intent on going back to his own dimension: a country doesn't rule itself and he still had so many treaties to sign! He couldn't just entrust this mission to anyone else, not even Gwendal or Wolfram, both were just either too calculating or fiery. These things needed trust and forwardness.

So there, Gwendal deserved to have better.

Could he even say that he _liked_ the man?

Wait.

Wrong question. Of course he liked him, that wasn't the point.

Could he say that he wanted to-to…to do _these_ _kinda __**things**_ with the other male? Because being engaged certainly included _those_ things, right? And that was the whole reason why he couldn't ever consider Wolfram his fiancé in the first place!

He certainly couldn't with Gwendal! No matter how much he had accepted the fact that he wasn't _completely_ insensitive about other men's beauty and such, he couldn't! And that should be all!

Yes. No matter how the man was certainly gorgeous; how his hair the most mesmerizing mix of white and grays and even some black. Or even, how his eyes were actually a mix of different blues intertwining, fading and mixing in a unique way, that always made him secretly want to dive into them. It didn't even matter that he had that astonishing build, even though he mostly spent his days carrying papers and ordering people around, a body that betrayed his sweet side that liked to knit cute animals and feed kittens he tried to hide in that little unexplored corner, right in-between the unwelcoming wall of the official meeting building and the ramparts-wait-wasn't he straying from the main point?

Gwendal's good points weren't what he should be thinking about right now!

While the confused youth was absorbed in his musings about straying from straight paths, he almost failed to hear the distinctive splash that announced the end of his little peaceful alone time. Making a fast prayer to a god he didn't believe in that it wasn't Huber, he hurriedly searched for the right way to put the stupid wig on.

He was fortunate enough for finding it and quickly putting it over his black mess. Certainly, with the poor torch lighting in the dead of the night and the heavy curtain of steam, the stranger wouldn't notice the uncharacteristically dark underside of his hair.

Just as he was in the process of reassuring himself, said stranger came into view, well, foggy view.

"Is someone here?" the other asked in an unmistakable voice, as he had probably spotted Yuuri standing there too.

"Conrad? I mean! Sir Weller? What are you doing here?" the double black asked as the image of his young looking godfather became more distinct.

"What am I… Well, in case you had forgotten I'm a captain, I therefore have rights to this place, at least as much as my brother's lover would." The brown haired male pointed out, he scratched his head as though wondering what was bringing this sort of conversation, the other hand resting naturally on his hip.

All in all, to Yuuri's eyes, he was just pulling a model's sexy pose that certainly belonged to some girl's dirty magazine from his original world. But it also served to remember Yuuri that, this man wasn't his godfather, and never would be. And also that he and _lord Weller_ weren't on the friendliest terms. No matter that he did see the man's qualities, they had somehow gotten themselves into a 'mean play' of "fuck off" and "no, you fuck off first".

It had really all started with Conrad's _attitude_.

The man was just _so_ different from what he used to know. He hadn't known how to handle him. But seeing everyone's attitude, he was probably one of the very rare people who had actually really _tried_ to speak to the man like he was another person. As far as he knew, there was only him, Yosak and Julia to do that. Cherry couldn't because of her position as the Maoh and his men just saw his _heroic_ self in battle without taking into account his 'person self'.

To put it bluntly, Conrad was _not_ a people person. He actually had hard time interacting with others and any time when Yuuri tried to act out of his 'pseudo' dislike and their plays of "I love you." "Me neither" it panicked the soldier greatly. Maybe it was the whole explanation of Yosak's wish to be a spy: at least that way Conrad could understand if he was acting a bit out of character. It was certainly easier for Julia who was always true to herself no matter what and if her little boyish nature could throw you off at times, it was compensated by her way of always taking things calmly, or at least that's what he had heard, the double black Maoh didn't get to know her that much. Of course, he was supposed to be the same, but his current situation had thrown off the balance of his emotions.

However, right now, Yuuri was too worn off and ready to relax again to care for a new fight.

"Guess you are….lover boy." Well he couldn't help _that_ one…what with the striking poses and all…

"Should a _kid_ younger than me be calling me a _boy_?" the brown eyed man answered immediately, a teasing smile on his lips.

'Well, doesn't he bite _easy_? It's not even funny to fish him for a reaction.' Yuuri internally sighed.

"Forgive me, I meant _lo__**w**__er_ boy. Should you be captain if you need a _kid_ to defend your honor? I can't believe I'm the one who's being called a wimp." He angrily answered, he wasn't in the mood for playful banter, but his statement suddenly brought the other man into a serious silence.

"You know it's not just about me…" he trailed off, averting his eyes as he shamefully let his head drop.

"I know that." The disguised double black sighed softly a sad tinge tainting his voice. "But I still can't accept it. People's fear is understandable, but some are just going too far, using it too much… If you're just going to accept it, it'll just give them ground to advance on!" he finally retorted.

"But if we fight it too much, it's the same end result. Doing too much will only result in worsening the situation. Look, you even ended-…" Conrad tried to argue, but his last statement caught in his throat, feeling it seize the words painfully for some reason that the soldier didn't want to acknowledge. "You even ended up engaged to my brother…but I guess it's not that much of a terrible thing…since you like him." He finally trailed off in a whisper, his last words lost to the night as they were said much too softly to be heard over the rippling water.

Conrad did not wish to think about this, but he had heard of some of the rumors covering Yuuri, this strange, new servant, with whom he had small, almost friendly, spats, and his older brother (there were some about him too). He had first thought that it was just the overly imaginative maids who made these things up, like they often did, only because the servant had been appointed close to his brother inadvertently. But then he had caught sight of the plushy that was unmistakingly Gwendal's creation. And then there was that glimpse of a smile he had seen on his older brother's usually stoic face, when he had witnessed first hand the servant's clumsiness (aka tripping over his own two feet), one day when they had taken a stroll to talk together over the castle grounds. And of course, that proposal earlier this night was undeniable proof that something was going on…

It just evaded him: the reason why all this was so damn shocking. Why couldn't he accept any of this? Maybe it was because he worried for his brother. He didn't look it, but he was fragile too. However, it didn't seem to be the whole reason, and it bothered him terribly.

He tried studying the youth's troubled and saddened face, seeking an answer that wouldn't come.

He pondered what kind of feeling was dwelling deep into him as he studied the perfect small lips.

He wondered about the hand that griped his throat as he observed the soft skin of his cheeks on which stuck stands of wet hair that looked…mesmerizingly _black_ under the night's delicate shade.

He tried to name the warm lava that burned his seizing heart and lungs whenever he would look at the youth's _very, very_ dark and long lashes as they softly covered the light brown eyes, brushing the delicate skin below, although right now, with the servant's head bowed, his eyes half shut and the mist, he couldn't see the orbs quite clearly.

That feeling also common to all the times the other would give him a blazing stare whenever he'd find an equally heated reply to one of his teasing remarks, or when a small smile of victory would appear, or when Yuuri would laugh at him for one reason or another, or even when those beautiful eyes would become angered at Huber for insulting the Maoh's second son's birth…

Confused as he was, he merely tried to put a name on the reason that turned the tingling and heated feel into an ice cold grip at the prospect that all these things would now be the exclusive propriety of one man. The man being his brother. The man being a noble. The man probably being his love's love-

Wait.

What did he say?

But as his shocked self tried to process what his mind had unwittingly let loose inside itself, Yuuri had started moving those sweet looking lips again, the name that passed through them not pleasing the captain in the least.

"I know…It's a problem, right? That Gwendal asked me to be his consort… I kept thinking about it." The younger male began.

'Don't! Don't keep thinking about him!' Conrad couldn't help but inwardly think.

"I still can't believe he did this… It was kinda sudden. All…because of that… Although I knew I should have been more careful with Huber, I couldn't do things any other way! Now it's like I pushed Gwendal into trouble, and I don't like it…He was only trying to help me and-and now… Now he'll probably have all sorts of problems because of it. I don't even know what to do to help him-!" the man in disguise kept going on, but his bathing companion felt like interrupting that rant.

"I'm _sure_ my brother won't _mind_ you in his bed…and mother was the one pushing you into it, just to save _his_ honor, really… It might have been more trouble if you had rejected him, actually. And the noble houses can let pass a lover or a consort, even a half-breed, so long as it doesn't have any incidence on politics. Plus, they've long since given up on political marriages with my brother: he's scarred them all off already. No. The question is: are _you_ alright with this?" he finally asked, it was the most important, because what he had said was the truth, all that mattered was the servant's feelings at being thrown into this.

"Is that so… err-I-I don't know…" Yuuri began, unsure what had brought Conrad to be this serious with him.

"You don't know what?" the brown eyes male asked harshly, trying to meet the servant's avoiding eyes with his, even taking a few steps forward, so he would be towering over him.

"I just don't know! I haven't completely sorted my thoughts about Gwendal, but-… I'm just supposed to be a servant! What can a servant say about this anyway? Lasagna said that too: it only happens in dreams. I'm not even _supposed_ to think about feelings!" he cried, he wanted to end this conversation, plus Conrad was too close: he'd see the problem with his eyes and hair if he stayed there too long.

"So you're just alright with anything? What if it had been _Huber_ who had slapped you? Would you have accepted just as easily? Accepting to be his plaything, subjected to whatever perverse plays he'd get you into to extract his petty revenge over half-breeds?" this time the captain yelled, frustrated by the youth's avoidance, he leaned in, hoping to get a glimpse of his true feelings on his bowed face, which the servant seemed so intent on hiding from him.

"Of course not!" Yuuri yelled too, fighting the urge to meet Conrad's eyes straight on to prove his determination, resulting in his shoulder tensing and his head lowering even more to stare into the dark water which swallowed their uncovered bodies.

"Then what? Why is it okay to undergo such a thing if it's my brother? Can you not tell me how you feel? Is it because he's nice? Is it because you _love_ him? You want to…to have _sex_ with him? Feel him in-between your legs? Have him take you over and over?" the double brown raged; he didn't even know, what _was his own problem_? Why did his very own words hurt him so? Why would his own suggestions make his hands turn into fists?

"T-that! It's not like that! Can't you see I'm confused enough as it is? Give it a rest! I'm just saying that I don't have a say in it anyway!" the soon to be consort finally let out as his face heated for reasons aside from the warm steam.

"You say this as if you weren't part of it! Isn't it you we're talking about? It's a contract for the rest of your life! Is it okay for you to spread your legs to someone for whom you don't feel that way for? For the rest of your life?" Conrad let out as he painfully straightened his back again, his fists resting at his sides, underwater, as he gave up trying to seek the other's gaze.

"Would you knock it off! What's it got to do with _you_ anyway?" the double black let out, letting his words sink in.

It took a moment for that last statement to completely dawn on the soldier. A moment in which Yuuri breathed hard, fighting to regain the breath he had lost in this battle of words.

More than his breath, it was also his thoughts gone awry that Yuuri tried to get back together. It wasn't like he hadn't enough trouble thinking about those things by himself! And it wasn't even the worst of his trouble! Conrad may not comprehend that, he knew. But Yuuri had other priorities that needed to be taken care of, before he had to ponder about what would become of his life if he was unable to get back to his real home!

Conrad himself observed as the youth gasped and swallowed lumps of air back into his deprived lungs. The more he observed, the more he made out striking details of the other's appearance that he hadn't noted until then.

The soldier's hands twitched with the desire to sample a few lock of the servant's darkened and damp hair. It seemed so dark. Much darker than he had first thought it'd turn out once wet. It even looked strangely thick… It made him want to detail them.

Yuuri himself, failed to notice the warning twitch.

Or even the small shiver of anticipation that ran over his godfather doppelganger's muscular form, as intent slowly turned into action. Although, the original goal might have been slightly altered along the way.

That's why, when a hand, very suddenly and violently, found its way into his dark mane at the back of his head, entangling itself both into his real and fake hair, he hadn't been prepared for it.

Panic taking over, he managed to have a lock of the wig's front hair get stuck in his left hand. Pushing said hand forward in hopes that it would keep the fake mane from slipping backward, it incidentally met with a well chiseled chest with a wet "slap".

The double black didn't even have the time to argue about his not-knight's sudden actions before a hand found its way over his cheek and chin. Quickly he realized that his eyes' level was rising, and knowing that, even the darkness of the place would not explain why his eyes would change from a very light brown to an inky black, he hurriedly closed them.

At the sight, the brown eyed male let out a frustrated growl as he yet again, failed to get the other to look at him straight in the eyes. That was just too much!

Yuuri swallowed thickly as the hand in his hair tightened its grip, along with the hand on his face. He expected the other to push him, shake him, even knee him to get his goddamned answers.

What he didn't expect, was the feeling of his lips meeting with the other's ones, and being pulled into a searing kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.:<strong> Damn! That whole idea was running in circles in my head for a while XD. But there you have it: The Conrad Chapter! And yeah, I would believe that after years of admitting that the guys around him were pretty beautiful and that "But Wolfram, you're cuter than me!" Yuuri would realize that, he _does_ pay attention to other guy's looks and sexiness!

And yeah, Conrad is definitely the dense and self scarifying type of guy, but he had to realize that he wanted to be a bit possessive too, now! We'd never get to the point if his old self wasn't as fiery as Wolfram and turned out to be as calm and observant as his future self!

Talking about Wolf, he'll certainly come around at some point, but I don't like him, so he won't get a big role (I think that two Huber(s) aren't all that necessary, but his input might be interesting for my future plans in this story).

**Break time!**

Actually people, you go there: http: / www . you tube . com /watch? v=QOqlry3LGMM& feature = related

Work your imagination a little!

(if you don't wanna bother with deleting my spaces, you just type "the darkest of places 720p" on the youtube search bar and click on your first choice)

Now don't run, watch it calmly, it's an incredibly hilarious amv that I found while browsing randomly, then suddenly…I imagined the KKM cast singing this…*rofl just from remembering* I remember beginning the video and thinking "what a boring song", then _IT_ happened and I was like 8sec. staring at my screen like a dead fish before three things came to my mind: "no I haven't misheard", "Oh my god! No way!", "Oh my fucking god! I want Yuuri, Gwendal and Conrad singing this!", in my astonishment I let the video roll on, and near the end I was right down hilarious: it's also part of what inspired the Anissina / Gisela / Gunter break, along with the web comic The _Tea House_ (yaoi webcomic) and its infamous Mercutio XD (watch the cast page and you'll give this break a very whole new understanding) (and it's teahousecomic . com).

And maybe there should also be…

**A real BREAK TIME!**

After being more than a little bit sore about losing to his cousin and a bunch of half-breeds, Huber was what you'd call, a bit depressed. Then an idea struck his war planning filled brain: certainly some people wouldn't be too happy about tonight's events! No matter how much they bargained, surely the maids and that stupid cook, who were at least pure blooded, no matter their actual uselessness, would be a bit disgruntled at having some newbie half be chosen by some grand noble. They did say that it was like a dream come true, didn't they? Most certainly, they would be meeting in the dark, spiteful, hateful and calculating just as most of those women were, thinking on how that less than nothing had robbed them at a chance of realizing their dreams!

With that in mind, Huber went to acknowledge the maids' actual conversation, in hopes for the best.

**Lasagna:** Sangria! Did you get everything ready?

**Sangria:** *blush* Y-yes. I changed the sheets and prepared lord von Voltaire's room just as you asked.

**Lasagna:** Good. Doria?

**Doria:** Finished gathering Yuuri's belongings and putting them in a box in the lord's chambers, ma'am!

**Lasagna:** Perfect! Shamploo!

**Yosak:** Don't tell me you're also part of this! *XD*

**Shamploo:** *ignores* And I'm telling you that THERE IS NO WAY!

**Lasagna:** Aww, come on! It's not that big a deal!

**Shamploo:** Yes, it IS!

**Sangria:** Would you rather they go…they go-! *nosebleed*

**Doria:** Yeah, think about poor Yuuri!

**Shamploo:** WHAT? Hmph…I hadn't thought of this possibility…

**Yosak:** *dies of laughter* Ah ah ah- Alright man! I'm backing you up on _that_ one!

**Dorcas:** *blanches* T-that's a bit… Oh! Shinou! Don't make me picture it!

**Lasagna:** Dorcas' right you know! That's so _totally_ the other way around!

**Yosak:** What gives?

**Doria:** Come on! That's just so _obvious_!

**Lasagna:** I'd even say it's _natural course_!

**Dorcas:** Yeah it's definitely going to be this way… No. Anything else is just too-

**Shamploo: **Silence! Anyway, there's nothing _natural_ about this no matter which way it goes!

**Lasagna:** Talk about stick in the ass! And you're the one who started having weird images! Anyway hurry up and do what I told you to do!

**Shamploo:** I am NOT allowing _anyone_ to use, or even suggesting using _my_ cooking ingredients for anything of the sort!

**Lasagna:** BUT-!

**Yosak:** Chill out~! If it's lube you want to provide, I have. Just. The. Thing~!

**Shamploo:** I hope it's a better idea than hers.

**Yosak:** Straight out from the medical wing~!

**Shamploo:** *sigh in relief* Good.

**Sangria:** *still having a bloody nose* Well at least no one's going raw…I hope…or maybe not~*collapses in a bath of blood*

**Shamploo:** I still don't think that-

**Lasagna:** And I'm telling you: there is _absolutely no way that you're right_!

**Doria:** Exactly! If anyone's going to be on top it's lord von Voltaire!

**Shamploo:** It will _not_!

**Dorcas:** He's so totally going to abuse him…

**Doria: **Who?

**Yosak:** What about switching?

**Sangria:** Oh, my SHINOU~!

And so, a very traumatized Huber made his way back to his room, pale and stumbling as the shock and completely unwanted images entered his mind. Once back to his room, he let out a cry of agony as the reality of the conversation he eavesdropped on dawned upon him. For the years that followed, rumors about the living dead walking within the guests' building's corridors scarred shitless even the most trained soldiers.


	9. Who is it that I love?

**At your service**

**A.N.:** I know you've all been waiting for it!

For those still wondering, the main aim is to get to GwendalxYuurixConrad, of course, it can't just happen like that: *pouf* here Conrad and here Gwendal and now let's jump poor little Yuuri! No! But let's see how this could happen in a slightly less…_sudden_ fashion. It'll take a few chapters though…

Lol, last time I updated so fast it surprised some of you XD. Really, making it sounds like, my job here, is to surprise you all, in any possible way!

...and you're not wrong.

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>**: Who is it that I love?**

"Is something the matter?" Gwendal's deep voice asked, pulling Yuuri out of his musings as he took in the reality of the situation.

Just a bit earlier, he had planned on taking a calm. Relaxing. _Alone_ bath!

But what happened?

_Conrad_ happened.

And the whole Conrad, his godfather figure, knight in shinning armor, protector, self sacrificing, and most loyal soldier _kissing_ him, happened!

And he had been damn good at it.

Not that he ever had any doubts on the matter. Conrad was beautiful, gorgeous, chivalrous, a real gentleman, definitely a heart breaker, if it wasn't for his natural gentle nature he'd certainly be called a playboy! His gentle smile, his soft hair, his loving eyes, his face, his body, everything about him was like a picture coming straight out of a girl's fantasizing imagination! There was no questioning his certain…popularity among the women corps. And so, Yuuri had a pretty good guess that the man had had many…_encounters_. And that the man was probably well versed in the art of kissing.

But the double black never thought that he'd be _personally_ testing out _these_ skills!

Nope. Never.

Yuuri shook his head, clearing it of the perfect soldier image he had in his mind.

No. _That_ hadn't been _his_ Conrad. _This Kissing _Conrad was part of a parallel world. A long haired, bratty Conrad was what had kissed him. Not his gentle knight who would have never dared such a thing!

And yet… Yuuri couldn't help but feel the ghost of this man's lips on his, even now. The pressure, the moist feeling, the soft caress of them moving over his, all these elements, engraved within his mind, burning on his mouth. But there was also, the feel of the strong hands _possessing_ him: the back of his head still tingled from where his hair had been pulled a bit roughly, his face still feeling the pressure of the fingers that had grasped it, making the youth want to fetch a mirror and assure himself that he wasn't bruised.

And all he remembered before was a yelling fight, asking something about why his engagement mattered to Conrad, and then…he was kissed.

"I guess that's what." had been Yuuri's answer, once the lips saying this had finished eating his face so thoughtfully.

He was pretty sure he had blushed. He had also run (once the grip on his wig had lessened). He had escaped the sight of the confusing being that was Conrad Weller, keeping on himself only the remaining burn of the other male's heated touch.

He had gathered his wits, clothes, wig and dragon scales, putting it all back on as fast as he could. And once that done, he had gone to the place that he was supposed to go to: his bed. In that case, it was _Gwendal's _bed. With the man himself in it already. At least he should consider himself lucky if Conrad didn't realize the problem with his hair and eyes…

But here he was. In lord von Voltaire's bedchamber. And faced with new problems.

One being: there was no way he could sleep with the lens on! No, thank you! The wig he could manage already, but not the _lens_! They hurt enough as it was keeping them on all day long, he wasn't about to keep them during the night too! What if his eyes got infected? What if they slipped who knows where during his sleep and he didn't know in the morning? There was just no way. So he had to find some way out of this.

"Are you alright?" the low-pitched voice called again, trying to get the younger male to tell him the reason for his sudden stop, right in the middle of the room.

"Ah, y-yes. Hmmm…" the double black tried to keep going, but it was hard getting something out in this situation. 'Do you kick when you sleep?' didn't seem like the right choice of words to begin with.

"The maids left a few night clothes for you over there, along with the rest of your stuff. There doesn't seem to be much by the way, did you really come with such light baggage?" The dark grey haired demon lord pointed out, waving his hand to indicate the place beyond the bed.

"Ah, yes, thanks!" Yuuri immediately saw his chance to get rid of the lens, now, all he could hope for was for the man not to need to look at him in the eyes, to be sure, he asked "Were you…waiting for me?" because one thing for sure, it seemed strange for the man to be just sitting there on the bed, without knitting tools or even a few documents to take care of.

"I wanted to talk." Gwendal simply answered, crushing Yuuri's hope along with this.

"Oh…What about?" the youth shifted nervously, the "want to talk" talk was never a good thing.

"….J-just…change first. So we can talk at ease…" for some reason his own comment made Gwendal blush, probably because, no matter how he tried to ask the youth to change, it'd always sound like he wanted to…watch.

Yuuri observed curiously as Gwendal's face reddened before the older man's head turned away to avoid looking by the bed's foot: where Yuuri's belongings were stored.

"Sure. If that's what you want." The disguised double black answered as he made his way to the clothes.

Somehow, the comment seemed to bother Yuuri's new _fiancé_, having him wear a guilty look on his handsome face, adding to the wrinkles that really weren't there when the man stopped frowning. For now, the look was ignored in favor of changing clothes.

Because, one thing to know was that, Yuuri wasn't an especially shy person went it came to undressing and being with other people in a bath or else where. He grew up used to bathhouses because his father and brother would take him there whenever they felt like it, to "deepen the familial bond". It was really an excuse so the two of them could act like old men with Yuuri…and for Shori to show off his own body next to his brother's…

But from the level of touching these times involved with Shori and the level of distance Cheri's own sons put between each others, he guessed that the touchy-feely wasn't something Demons did. In shin Makoku, people were shyer about their bodies, he had learned that a few times with Wolfram's jealousy and Conrad's constant need to have him covered.

Yet, he never quite grew out of his old habits. Not feeling the slightest bit deranged at getting undressed in front of another male being one of those old habits.

All he was worried at the moment was to assure that the wig wouldn't fall off (even with the pins), whenever he had to get a piece of closing over his head. He was also trying to think of a way to get rid of the lens without alerting Gwendal, after they finished their talk.

So all the while, he didn't get to understand the growing flush on the dark grey haired man's face, as he failed to keep his eyes trained to his bedroom's door and stole small glances to Yuuri's doings. Of course, he only meant to look relaxed and not bothered by the youth in his presence, but the way the male simply undressed _completely down_ to his underwear, **before**_thinking_ on putting his sleeping robes on, threw him off.

The demon lord abandoned all pretence of trying to look else where when the reddish/brown haired male finally got to wrap the fabric belt around his thin frame to close the sleeping robe. Just him looking at the youth standing in front of his bed, made the older male's heart beat at an exceedingly fast rate.

The young man was beautiful, alright. That much had already been acknowledged by about more than half the castle already, himself included. Seeing that piece of perfect flesh standing vulnerable in his private quarters, ready to step next to him onto the fresh and clean sheets of the bed, it made him want to do nothing less than grasp the tender flesh with own two hands, remove that daunting robe and-that wasn't the fucking POINT!

"Hummm, should I sleep on the floor?" Yuuri mused aloud, not sure if it was alright or not to step into Gwendal's bed, the whole matter wasn't completely resolved yet, and this engagement had been a mistake after all.

"Might be safer…" the dark grey haired lord whispered, making Yuuri perk up as he had already put his left knee on the side of the bed Gwendal wasn't occupying, revealing more of his flesh than the demon lord could bear to _just see_ at such a close distance. "But you're very welcome to get in." he hurriedly amended, not wanting to make the youth feel rejected, and a littl-okay-a _big_ part of him really wanted to have the servant in his bed.

"What did you want to talk about?" the double black in disguise asked as he made his way underneath the dark green linen covers, propping himself up against the headboard so they could talk seriously.

On the other hand, Gwendal felt like he was in a pinch. Between the younger's innocent nature and the soft skin and heat that screamed "_so close_", plus his left hand that was accidentally three centimeters away from tasting heaven, or retreating back on earth, he didn't know how to begin. Luckily for Yuuri's innocence, Gwendal's reasonable nature decided on the second option, his aim wasn't to take advantage of the young male he unexpectedly found madly addictive by both his personality and physique, so his hand retreated from underneath the sheets and went to rest in his lap.

Gwendal was the voice of reason, and such thoughts were unlike him. Most demons had a certain degree of attractiveness, it was natural, and he shouldn't be so affected by Yuuri's. It was just that the man had that 'little something others didn't have', the 'little bit more' to him than meet the eye. His beauty was delicate and resided in the strange innocence and determination that was in his eyes, unaffected and perverted by the horrors of war like the rest around him were.

Yet, more than simply beauty, it was his presence, his nice and true nature. That was probably where the demon lord had made a mistake: when he got to know the kid just a bit more than was necessary. Thoughtlessly having small talk about of a few miscellaneous and unimportant demands he received from certain nobles, who thought the Maoh had time for their little person when there was a war, the both of them would comment and laugh at their idiocities. He got too close also, when they talked a bit about the kittens he was so worried about and having the boy feed them one of those times when his duties caught back on him and he couldn't make it. Small things like that, which would bring, without a fail, that bright and happiness filled smile on Yuuri's face. All of these, and many others, had been his mistake, his miscalculation that led him to have feelings he didn't wish to posses, didn't know about, and didn't understand. But now that he had them, he felt like he couldn't live on without them, couldn't live on without the person that held the thin strings of his love…

Because, yes, Gwendal von Voltaire was in love with the being sitting right next to him, the being known as Shibuya Yuuri. He had long since ridden himself of the illusion of simple lust, no matter that it hadn't been such a long time since the young man had arrived in his line of sight. Somehow, he felt like he had known this young man for years already.

He loved Yuuri. Wanting nothing less than to ravage him senseless, wanting nothing more than to see him smiling happily. That kind of love had befallen him without warning, without his consent, and most certainly, without fail.

He, who had always extolled reason above all else, who condemned love for its sentimental misjudgment and vague description. He, Gwendal von Voltaire had fallen into this trap and did not wish to be saved from it…such a terrible accursed feeling indeed.

"Are you alright? I mean, with everything that's happened… That "engagement matter" felt a little rushed, but you have a right to get a say in this." The lord finally managed to answer the youth.

The words were hard because they left Yuuri with the choice of leaving him behind, where he'd be nothing more but an empty, ragged corpse waiting for his demise. But he had, for his love's sake, to allow the possibility. It didn't help that Yuuri had looked a bit reluctant back there with Huber around.

Yuuri, on the other hand, felt both extremely relieved and bothered at the same time.

On one hand, contrary to with Wolfram, he had a say in the matter although his status here wasn't supposed to leave him one, and he was grateful. Also, he barely repressed a blush at his thinking back in the bath (before the "Conrad incident" he meant), where he had thought about Gwendal and how the man wasn't a bad choice…how he might-err- (change of subject) On the other hand…-wait-Wolfram?

Wolfram.

That name did ring a warning bell…

WOLFRAM!

If Wolfram ever, _ever,_ EVER heard of any of this, he was _roasted steak_!

And so would be Blood Pledge Castle, and maybe even Gwendal and Conrad (most certainly Conrad would be the first to taste the ashes if Wolfram ever came to know about the kiss, but then again he was also strong enough to defend himself…maybe). In any case he'd most certainly have an earful…enough to turn deaf before he died in a pile of carbonated bones. If only he was sure that it would end their engagement…but the blond had pledged to follow him as fiancé to the afterworld…damn.

Why, although he kept thinking about Wolfram, why did the thought of his impending death evade him for so long? Maybe he really had been a bit too cozy in there…

"I'm sorry, it seems I said something that inconvenienced you…" Gwendal started as the servant's face grew extremely pale and his frame started shaking a bit. Although he had no idea of what wrongs he had done, he didn't want to upset the youth.

"Ah…No. It's not your fault…I just…thought of something unpleasant from back home, while I was thinking…sorry about that." he answered, well it was truth, strictly speaking.

But realization dawned upon Gwendal. He quickly came to the wrong conclusions. After all, war was everywhere, certainly the youth would have some bad memories he tried hard to keep at bay, everyone had. He felt extremely guilty at being the cause to such remembrances, even if he hadn't done this on purpose.

"I'm terribly sorry." he said again, trying to be soothing as the young male merely shook his head.

Acting on impulse, he wound his arms around the light frame and pulled the boneless male onto his strong chest. The young male barely letting go of a small sound of surprise but not fighting the sudden embrace he was given.

Yuuri desperately tried to get back on track, trying to shake off his fear of his angered fiancé. He was a man. He was an adult. He was the Maoh (not here though). Wolfram wasn't the kind of thing to fear! War was a thing to fear. Not angry, blazing, and jealous fake fiancés.

And what the hell? Wolfram had twisted his youth. The blond had kept him away from romance affairs and the like that high school boys, or at least kings, were supposed to taste at least once before settling down.

Now, in less than a week he had gotten a taste of a freedom he didn't know existed in the simple attire of a servant. It was a temporary setting and the deeds were already done anyways!

If Wolfram's wrath was to befall him, then he might as well get the better out of it, and make his decisions without wondering about the blond annoyance! He could and he would!

He would be true to himself and his feelings! True and without restrictions. Couldn't he be just a little bit selfish every now and then? Think of only him and not care for the rest of the world just for a time, a second?

For all he knew this world might just be in the process of killing him. Of course he wanted to go back. That wasn't the question. But would he manage to get back tonight even if he wanted to, and tried? No.

After all, it was what he had kept trying to do for the last days: jumping into any puddle he might find, almost drowning himself in his morning bath, drawing out demonic energy randomly, running around, sneaking in the castle's treasury room with the bored Maoh to search for useful devices, under the guise of simple curiosity, while she took a nap and makeup sessions in front of demonic mirrors.

So he could just do as he pleased for a moment! He had dried up on ideas anyway, and he didn't have an unlimited number of tickets to see Shinou and get new ones anyway.

And what was better to take advantage of, but a consequences-less dimension, where he was nothing but a meaningless servant? Hadn't he been too worried about everything up until now? Okay, so maybe he hadn't been _too_ worried, one should remain careful: he didn't want to be executed here or anything! But definitely!

He could be casual friends with the maids. He could make little escapades unsupervised (okay maybe he'd go with Yosak, but he wasn't here to especially keep an eye on him). He could-He could!

Well…he could do so many things…but there were still a few lose ends.

Like Conrad.

What would he do with Conrad? Or more accurately, what would Conrad do to him? Had that kiss been the end of it? Should he be happy to have had a real good kiss for once in his life? Should he feel disgusted? Should he be-there were too many questions!

Conrad wasn't the only one to take into account either. There was Gwendal too. That's right, Gwendal von Voltaire was supposed to become his fiancé here…Although he gave him a choice regarding that matter. Why did he give him a choice by the way? Wasn't he the one who should be having it? He had only done that so Huber wouldn't kill him, hadn't he? Now he just wanted to ask.

Gathering himself back a bit, he gently put his hands on the sides of the male holding him. He first intended to have the other free him from the embrace, but now that he was in the process of doing so, the hug just felt a little too good to be abandoned. It had been quite a long time since he had been held like this…with Wolfram around him at all times, even his knight in shinning…soldier uniform couldn't hug him out of relief whenever they got out of desperate situations. Still, he had to voice his question.

"Gwendal-I mean-Lord von Voltaire…the engagement, are you fine with it? I mean, I thought about it, there certainly are a lot of other people who would be much better for you. You're gorgeous, mature, calm, intelligent, yet you still keep a soft side to yourself, as you are, there are probably hundreds of beautiful and good women that'd love to be engaged to you. You can't just choose a half-breed servant to be your first consort in a time of war when your role is this important! Won't the other nobles' houses be displeased?" he asked, the arms around him dropping slightly at the unexpected insight.

"I didn't know servants would be so thoughtful of politics. I thought all you would be mindful about were gossips… But to answer your questions, I'm…actually glad for this engagement. Although, I'm extremely flattered at your analysis of my personality, I'm afraid hardly anyone sees me like that. I'm seen as cold and heartless, I'm nothing like "gorgeous", I'm more like "scary" and those who know of my…appreciation of animals, usually point this out as "strange", "unhealthy", "ridiculous", or simply as "disgusting". I've scared away any candidates for marriages of conveniences, the most determinate ones being scared away by mother… Finally, I doubt the nobles' houses would condemn me, as they are hardly in good positions to do so: they wouldn't want me to counter them with their own "untoward" actions." He answered, the embrace now lose enough for the youth to leave the cocoon of his arms, not that it pleased him in the least.

"I see…but I really do think what I said. And I understand that maybe you don't risk all that much. Although I still think that it's going to put you in a bad position… Why did you say you were "glad"? If you say you already got rid of your candidates, why would you be glad to have me?" Yuri asked, simply because Gwendal wasn't making sense.

The man always liked to have his time to himself, he didn't seem like someone who would accept being forced into a couple just like that. Didn't he fear that he wanted to get into higher position? He was just a servant after all. He certainly couldn't see anything good coming for the man out of this engagement. He'd just have to bear with reprimands, extra-attention from his mother, brothers, cousin and finally he'd have to bear with his presence in his personal space. This was definitely not a good deal for Gwendal, and yet, he just said that he was "glad" for the engagement.

"I…I _am_ glad. It's true. Just to have someone by my side, someone like you… Because…I don't remember a time before that, when I felt this good, just being with someone else. It's been such a short time, and yet, I've had such a good time with you. I just feel happy when you're near me. But that's also why, I'm leaving you a choice." he confessed, the dark blue eyed male blushing in earnest as he made his declaration, because that's what it was: a confession of his unconditional love.

The speech itself floored the double black in disguise. Yuuri's cheeks tinted at the unexpected compliments: it wasn't every day that von Voltaire would let that many words out; he wasn't even talking about _those kinds of words_. He didn't know what to make out of it. He was so confused now. In a single night, he had narrowly escaped death by mean of Huber, been engaged, have his godfather figure kiss him and express his love for him, and finally had Gwendal, one of his trusted advisors, frowning but soft hearted retainer clearly say that he wanted to marry him, because Yuuri "made him all happy inside" by his mere presence.

So yes, Yuuri was floored. Unable to utter a reply immediately, as his brain painfully tried to proceed what _was_ happening.

'That…the situation just got _more_ complicated! What am I gonna do? This _is_ marriage! An important matter! And I'm just going to disappear on him at some point! Wouldn't that be cruel?' he internally debated.

But no! He was just thinking too much. Hadn't he said "to hell with it all"? He'd disappear and leave everyone here behind at some point anyway! Hurt them. He'd hurt them no matter what he did. He was already a liar who hid his appearance. Going to the deep end, wasn't _that_ big a deal.

To hell with it. To hell with everything he had! Just to go and be done with the doubts! He wasn't a king, he was a servant, a selfish servant! As a selfish servant, for as long as he was here, he wanted to at least see Gwendal enjoy himself. It was just so rare to see him have a good time!

So he'd be his fiancé. He'd search for his way back home and be the man's promised at the same time. Selfishly asking for his happiness as he lied to him.

Feeling his determination pumped full, he looked straight at the man still holding him in a loose embrace, Gwendal's hands resting on Yuuri's hips as the younger straightened his back. Acting before he had the time to question himself, Yuuri clasped his hands on each sides of the older man's face, still mindful not to hurt him in the process. Starring straight into the confused male's eyes, he let his tongue moist his lips in anticipation, before plunging in for the deed.

He nothing but smashed their lips together, inexpertly trying to recall what had been done to him a bit earlier. He wasn't very good, and Gwendal was still a bit in shock, so he couldn't respond quite yet.

Feeling a bit frustrated with himself, Yuuri released the other from his inexpert kiss.

"Sorry, I guess I don't know how to do it right…" he confessed.

On the other hand, the sapphire eyed male slowly came out of his shock, registering what had just happened before he could understand the words spoken. He licked his lips to taste whatever might have remained of them, desire already burning him inside out from the brief taste sample he'd been given.

"It's okay. I don't either." the demon lord amended. Slowly, softly, he mimicked the youth's previous action, having his hands surround the beautiful face of the one he loved, caressing the cheeks with great care.

"We'll just have to learn." the older male added as he went for a second, more throughout taste.

And the disguised youth couldn't complain more than moan as he was pushed down on the mattress, feeling his breath spirited away from his lungs. His lips burning for reasons unknown as they met with the other's ones repeatedly, while their arms circled bodies and their hands felt one another through thin fabric.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.:<strong> And that's all! *Hides*

And yeah, Yuuri's sense of selfishness is strange…yet again, it _is_ Yuuri!

Gwendal's chapter was harder to do, simply because I wanted Yuuri on the move (he can't just be subjected to things and not take action himself!). Aleas, he's too innocent for his own good, yet he's an adult in here.

**Break anyone?** (on a side note, _Resonance of Fate_ is just too amazing to be a game, plus it's hilarious! And they use bad ass guns, and you can make the main characters wear different clothes, and they're all just so damn funny XD! I'm so glad someone made this!)

**Doria:** What do we have here? What do we have here? What do we have HERE?

**Sangria:** Oh Great Shinou! *nosebleed*

**Lasagna:** Ohh, I can't take anymore!

**Shamploo:** You all! T-this! This is-! You shouldn't spy on people's _private life_! *blushes*

**Yosak:** Chill out~! But really, I couldn't imagine Yuuri being so daring…it's kinda sexy though…

**Shamploo:** T-that's-!

**Lasagna: **T-that view! That perspective~!

**Shamploo: **Ugh!

**Doria:** Completely uncensored!

**Shamploo:** *double blush*

**Sangria:** Ohhh~! Where are those hands groping?

**Shamploo:** *suffocates*

**Yosak:** Damn! That's so good! I wish I could show this to the captain! Just to see his reaction~! *smirk+evil plotting*

**Shamploo:** That's _enough_! This book is _mine_! *takes book away from greedy hands*

**Yosak:** Awww~ come on~! What's the point of making this if you don't show it?

**Doria:** Yeah! But really, I didn't think you really _did_ make a picture book of _that_ kind regarding Yuuri! (sort of doujinshi)

**Sangria:** I didn't know you drew so well!

**Lasagna:** I'm glad I asked you to do it!

**Cherry:** Me too~!

**Yosak&the maids:** YOUR MAJESTY?

**Cherry:** But why is Conrad also in it?

**Lasagna:** T-that…was my demand…

**Cherry:** How unexpected~!

**Sangria:** What about one with Wolfram?

**All:** The super duper black horse? No way!

**Sangria:**Bu~t…


	10. The storm's brewing

**At your service**

**A.N.:** On to the new chapter! Can you believe it's already the tenth? Yet I remain somehow unsatisfied by it...*sigh* (Not enough action for my tastes, I miss Huber...). I have to work harder. ENJOY!

And once again, _thank you all for your reviews~!_

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>**: The storm's brewing…**

**Back to camp where Yuuri is "sleeping":**

"Yo! Seems like you made it safely!" Yosak greeted the new faces who finally made it to their camp, namely, Gunter, Anissina, Gisela and a few soldiers who went to assure their protection. Although they didn't really need it, seeing as the second best swordsman in all Shin Makoku, the Hell Commander Of Doom and the Crazy Scientist and Inventor From the Seven's Layer of Hell were assembled, if anything, right now, it was the trained _soldiers_ who would need protection.

"Yes, the journey was long, but it seems like we made it. We just didn't expect you all to be _this_ close!" Gisela commented, the smile on her lips betraying her internal worry, if she had known they would get to the camp so fast in the early morning, they wouldn't have requested the rest they had last evening. Especially since her father worried enough for a whole country.

"Aaaahhhh! Where is his MAJESTY? Is he alright? What sort of ill has befallen him? I, Gunter von Christ shall-!" the silver haired beauty went on and on, the morning dew and sun making him sparkle dramatically, luckily he wasn't wrecking chaos all over the place right now, so the rest just contented in tuning him down.

"It seems like our rest cost us some time. But at least you can consider us as fresh and ready for the day! We'd like to see to his majesty right away. Monitoring his condition should not wait a minute longer!" Anissina announced, also worried and slightly annoyed to see that they could have actually arrived early within the night had they not stopped to rest in the late evening the day before, but the exact location of the camp was not one hundred percent assured, and they had believed for it to be much further still.

"We'll help you with all your….material, then. Prepare what you need and I'll just take you to the young master's tent, we'll have the soldiers prepare your own accommodations." The redhead explained, he was just too stressed and anxious to just greet everyone with a joke.

"Thank you. Has something happened? I can't see Sir Conrad Weller and Lord Gwendal von Voltaire, it'd be good if they could tell us everything while we check on his majesty." Gisela remarked as she started to follow Yosak through the maze they called a _camp_, she would need to remind the soldiers of the proper organization for a camp, that was where her new shinny Mercutio-chan, the happy slashing whip she recently acquired could be of use, she had just been _dying_ to introduce him to her _beloved_ troops!

Concerning the two missing men, well, she could understand why Gwendal would be a little shy, with Anissina here, but at least she had expected the faithful knight to show up and literally show them head first into the king's tent to tell him if they could do anything for his precious monarch.

"Ahhh~! Don't remind me! Ever since this mornin', those two have been all gloomy and avoidin'! It's like they've retreated into their shells, and refuse to even acknowledge each other! I wonder if they had a fight last night: they were watching over the young master together, but no one heard anything…and I was on watch duty." Yosak explained with a sigh.

He personally couldn't see what wrong could have happened back there, unless those two had suddenly decided to confess their feelings for the sleeping master and a fight over what they should do about it had happened. However, they all knew those brothers were all too thick headed and stubborn to ever even confess to themselves. So, the chances for a confession session to have happened were below the zero absolute. Weren't they?

"Men are so useless these days…" both females sighed deeply at the news, making the redheaded guide sweat drop and grin sheepishly, reminding them of the fact that he was also a male…

"Anyway, there we are!" Yosak exclaimed as he presented them the closed tent.

"Ahhh~! Your majesty~!" Gunter cried as he leaped forward to enter the king's accommodations…only to be harshly stopped by a green clad large chest.

Said owner of the green clad chest was now also owner of a very distinctive twitching eyebrow and frown. He observed, as annoyed as he could look, as the unexpected missile slid to the ground whining and crying noisily about walls and fate keeping him from his beloved.

"So you finally came… Anyway, Conrad's inside right now, so keep your questions for him." Gwendal stated, then, as an afterthought, he picked up the troublesome silver haired male by the collar, very intent on keeping the wailing ball away from the tent where his king _rested_.

"Gwendal! For the sake of his majesty, come back as soon as you're finished getting _him_ to calm down! We'll also need you." Anissina reminded her childhood friend, only earning a death glare from him, an amused smile from the orange haired spy behind her, and a plea from the writhing demon the dark haired male was in the process of strangling.

The redheaded inventor didn't wait for a better reply she knew wouldn't get, and followed the young green haired medic inside the tent instead. Inside, she had to repress her surprise from the sight that greeted her and her friend.

There laid the motionless king, looking as pale as if he was dead. But more surprising and distressing was the equally pale and dead looking knight, who remained at his side.

Once the surprise wore off though, it was annoyance that replaced the previous look on the green haired doctor.

"Sir Conrad _Weller_! How long _exactly_ have you been confining yourself in this tent? This is _not_ healthy! Please get out of here right _this instant_! We'll call you back later, right now, go and have some fresh air, some sun, and a damn _bath_ with one healthy amount of _soap_! Letting yourself go like this will _not_ help his majesty in the least!" Gisela raged, her hands itching to just get a hold of the slumped male and kick him good and hard in the parts so he would look a bit more alive.

"I…" the knight began, just a bit surprised at being handled so violently.

"NOW! One word and I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET BEING BORN A MALE!" she threatened, and when she was in that state, even a gloomy Conrad couldn't argue with her.

Once the man had made his strategic reply outside, both female sighed deeply at the realization that their main information center was gone with the wind. It was that moment that Yosak chose to poke his head inside the tent in curiosity, wondering why his captain had left his most precious being alone with two potentially dangerous _creatures_ with a pale and frightened look on his face. Of course, he was about one of the very rare beings who could decipher _that_ look on the double brown man's face.

"I guess we'll have to content with you, for now." Anissina pointed out as she spotted his not so discreet head.

* * *

><p>"Have you found anything?" Gwendal asked as the two women emerged from the tent around noon with a very resentful Yosak trailing behind.<p>

"We managed to get some information with the Maoh's present condition and his help." Gisela started as she pointed to the slumped spy; she also noticed her father drawing lazy circles into the dirt in some random corner, probably pouting from being left behind, a few soldiers vainly trying to cheer him up.

"Will his majesty be alright?" Conrad asked, earning himself a heated resentful look from his own childhood friend who silently accused him of leaving him alone with those two females while the captain was obviously doing nothing.

"It's quite intriguing actually." Anissina began, oblivious of the many silent exchanges going around her person. "Technically, it's as if his majesty's metabolism had frozen, a bit like the time I had Gunter and his soul separated, or when Wolfram had his heart taken by Shinou and put his body in my invention, but it's not quite as efficient as that." She explained the confused audience.

"To be clear, I'm sure you all already remarked that his majesty did not have any…natural needs. Not eating, or drinking, or needing to evacuate anything: clearly speaking, his metabolism is at a stop, but not entirely. He still breathes, his heart beats, and his looks have changed as Yosak told us. He got paler and sicker looking, it means that part of his body is still active, meaning a part of his soul is still inside of his body!" Gisela added.

"Is this supposed to be promising?" Gwendal asked, unable to keep the hopeful tone from surfacing.

"Partly yes and partly not." The redheaded inventor answered, making the two brothers glare angry daggers at her, not even a hint of the usual fear tainting their mighty glares.

"With a bit of luck, we might be able to find a way to call back the rest of his soul, but that might be a bit dangerous so it can't be done right now. However, if we leave his majesty like this, he'll most certainly pass the point of no-return in less than three days. If we leave it at that, he'll ultimately die. He might be able to survive for more than that, but his current condition shows that if we let him thin his connection between his body and his soul anymore than it already had, there is a high probability of the link breaking. Of course, if the link breaks, the body and the soul cannot be reunited. The body might survive some more with the small part of Yuuri's soul inside of it and it's maryoku, but the king himself will be dead and quickly his very soul will disintegrate into nothing." The green haired medic panned, making her father wail dramatically and the two brothers pale considerably.

"Luckily. I brought a few of my inventions and material. With what I have, we might be able to lengthen that span of time considerably. If we could pump some of your demonic energy into the link, we might even be able to strengthen it and add to his majesty's chances of recovering. We might even be able to trace the link and bring back his soul. It'll be long, strenuous, and maybe even painful, but it's all we can do at the moment." Anissina proclaimed.

"But how come? The Great Sage told us the king would be alright for a whole month!" Conrad raged as the list of things to hate the sage for lengthened.

"My best guess is that his majesty has been using too much of his demonic energy wherever he may be at the moment. It probably came from his tries to come back to us and the fact that his soul has had to form a tangible body for him to survive. If he's been taken to an alternate universe as the Great sage suggested, then it's possible." Gisela calmly replied, sensing the unusual aggressiveness in the knight's speech.

"Enough speaking! Preparations need to be made at once! I, Gunter, Anissina and Gisela should have enough Maryoku to supply his majesty if needs be! Soldiers who can't be of use in that domain shall take on the duty to protect the camp while the others will stock up on their energy! We need to act, now!" Gwendal commanded, shaking out of their thoughts the daydreaming soldiers and doubtful knight.

* * *

><p><strong>Back to alternate universe with Yuuri<strong>**:**

Yuuri wandered the castle's gardens, the early morning, late spring fog turning the landscape blank, a view that reflected well his state of mind. Ironically, the heavy fog had him meet up close with one of the great stone walls of the castle, yet again to match with his wandering thoughts.

'What the hell happened last night?' being his blank question, to which his answer was an equally bland and hard wall of confusion and ignorance.

Had he been drunk on the events?

A possibility.

Truthfully he couldn't explain himself, nor could he the people around him. _Things_ had happened. _Things_. Like…yelling, engagements and kissing…_lots_ of kissing. More than he ever thought he'd get. Mostly because of his previous engagement.

Was he sick?

Also a possibility.

Maybe that'd explain why he had been so thoughtless in front of Huber. Maybe that'd explain why he let his godfather kiss him and ran instead of kicking him in the- okay they were naked so _that_ might not have been the greatest idea, but he could have at least tried to punch…but he had been too scared of that hungered look in the older male's eyes. Finally, maybe that'd explain why he had had that sudden urge to _kiss_ his new fiancé, Gwendal. When he couldn't remember a previous time when he had _grazed_ the idea.

Maybe he had been drunk, tired, _and_ feverish!

Certainly that was the only possible explanation for his stupidly fast heart beat! The only explanation for _why_ it seemed like he had _liked_ those kisses! And also why, right now, whenever he thought back on the soft, but possessive feeling of these men's lips on his, the only thing that went through his brain was the desire to reiterate the action. He'd lick his lips, and instantly the feeling would come back, along with the delicious shiver of appreciation running up his spine at the resurfacing memory of large, calloused hands touching his _very _willing body.

Surely, something was wrong with either or both his body and mind!

Lost as he was in his musings, he didn't sense the approaching shadow that unsuccessfully tried to remain invisible within the quickly dispersing fog. The disguised double black was therefore easily surprised as a muscular arm rounded his own rather frail shoulders.

"Yo! How does our young lord feel this radiant morning? _Slept_ well~?" Yosak playfully asked, blessing Yuuri with one of his infamous _suggestive winks_.

"I had dearly needed _sleep_, Yosak. Thank you for your concern this early on this, until now, fine morning." The younger male sarcastically answered, not feeling in a playing mood at the moment, especially since he realized with a shiver that the other had just woken him from some very _pleasing_ memories involving lips and _usually_ _gentle_ men.

"My, my! Could it be that I'm no longer allowed within a twenty feet radius of lord von Voltaire's future consort? Is he afraid that I might give you…_ideas_?" the redhead went on, knowing that his newly acquired friend just needed a little more forceful push.

"…For unknown reasons…I don't think he'd complain…" the youth whispered, too low for the spy to be sure of the words, but loud enough for his tone to indicate that his mood had improved a little bit.

"Anyway. I just came to see if you were alright." Yosak stated as he unwound his arm from the ex-servant's shoulders.

"huh?" yuuri dumbly retorted, looking at the spy questioningly.

"You know…about the "you know what"… Did he find out about the _true you_?" he asked, making a great show of trying to be secretive.

"Oh! No. I managed to keep it a secret. I don't know if it'll keep being that simple though: I had a very hard time finding a moment to get rid of the lens yesterday." Yuuri stated.

"You're so careful… I think he really feels for you, you know. I don't think he'll make a big fuss of it if you drop the act tactfully." The spy informed the youth who was now looking at him like he had grown a second head.

"Are you kidding? Maybe you had some time to reflect on it yourself, but the situation was totally different! I'm glad you can keep my appearance a secret, but I'm not sure about anyone else!" Yuuri cried.

Back at the temple, his looks had already almost caused Yosak and Ulrike a heart attack, not to talk about his abilities! And at the time there had been Ulrike, who knew that he had something special and no need to panic over it because of Shinou, it also had backed up Yosak's confidence in him.

"Can't you even tell the captain? You know, he likes you too! I'm sure he'd help…" the spy tempted again.

"Oh I'm sure that he _likes_ me (enough to kiss me in the bath), but I'm not so sure about his helpful nature (he'd faster run me through with a blade if anything weird was going on)…" the youth complained.

"Come on~! After all, he's a half too, I'm sure he'd understand!" Yosak pressed on, dodging, or at least trying to dodge, any complain and retort the young consort to be threw at his person. At least, until Yuuri decided to literally hit him upside the head for being so insistent.

Caught up in their squabbling, they remained unaware of their silent audience…

* * *

><p>Yuuri sighed deeply as he faced the familiar door to Gwendal's study. The guards were eyeing him strangely, for a reason. And it was only mid morning yet…<p>

Here he was, at a time were it was sure that the Maoh wouldn't be in the room, yet. He had prepared the tea, though. The maids even gave him two slices of super sweet cake… It wasn't in his duties to do such a thing anymore, but he didn't intend to just wander aimlessly in the castle for days!

He was used to playing with his daughter, run from teachers and angry fiancés, play baseball for hours with his favorite and only knight and maybe a few other soldiers, until he'd be caught like a safe ball by a frowning Gwendal who just looked like he'd lick his dirty boots if he just accepted to be his 'important excuse' not to be Anissina's guinea pig for the rest of the day. Then he'd just do a few really important pieces of paperwork to content his retainer, and chase away the living red tornado, before eyeing the comfy couch and get a rest the second Gwendal gave his 'annoyed sigh', indicating he didn't want to fight his king at the present.

Yuuri's days were usually filled in such a fashion. When they weren't, it was because he had decided on another journey to visit his kingdom or his allies. Then a few side quests, that were sure to happen wherever he may land, would have him use his powers, run around in some stupid wannabe ninja fashion, play detective, and all in all, provide him with all necessary fun and exercise his young and energy filled body daily needed.

But in this dimension, now that he was no longer expected to run around on miscellaneous errands, all that had been offered to him was running as far away from the library he had been directed to as he could, an action which had Yosak laugh his ass off at his expense.

To put it bluntly, he was bored, he was bored to death!

Ever since the guard had spotted him, they had offered to accompany him, so he wouldn't be exposed to the dangers of some jealous nobles…luckily, Yosak had saved him from _that_ torture…In any case, he had been bored enough to ask the castle staff if he could do something for them, aside from watching Shamploo's exuberant self prepare breakfast.

All they could offer him was bring something to his fiancé's office (a strange glint of mischief taking residence in their eyes ever since he refused to tell them about last night's events), as said fiancée had refused breakfast and gone to his office instead. Well, obviously Conrad had also missed breakfast, but he wasn't really expected to do something about him, besides, no one could tell/warn him of his doings at the moment…

So here he was, eyed by the guards who couldn't seem to understand why he was still doing this, and him eyeing the door with all the apprehension he could muster. After all, the last time he had entered the office wasn't a pleasant memory.

Finally he gathered his wits, his 'come and get me' look being all the guard to his left needed to acknowledge his wish. Said guard lightly knocked on the door to catch the room's occupants' attention. The other one seemed to eye his partner suspiciously, even readied to say something to Yuuri's determined self, but his protests died as Gwendal's deep and grave voice came from the other side of the large oak double door. The voice itself brought an involuntary, unwanted, but pleasant shiver to Yuuri's back, making him suddenly remember all the reasons why he wasn't ready to meet his fiancé's eyes right at this moment.

His fast, last minute prayers weren't answered however, as the door was slowly opened to let the first prince's consort enter the paper and ink smelling study. At least the smell was reassuring…not the sight.

Apprehension took a whole new meaning when the double black in disguise took in the scene before him. Here was Gwendal, not behind his desk but up, straight and waiting in front of his desk, facing with and unreadable frown his one and only half-breed brother. Said brother was also well taken in the strange staring match the two had initiated.

Yuuri didn't dare to relax, even as his mind registered the absence of his main adversary, namely Huber… Really, he was the only missing piece to the scene, something that worried the young disguised male more than he dared admit.

"H-hum…." Yuuri began, trying to have his presence acknowledged and maybe have the two stop glaring "_death_" at one another.

"You're not a servant anymore." Gwendal harshly stated, not even sparring him a glance.

"Hmmm…I just had nothing better to do, so it's fine…" he hesitantly replied, obviously not exactly what either wanted to ear, but he just couldn't let the two keep their staring match going and not try to stop it.

"Yuuri." Conrad began, still not daring to take his eyes off the ones of his brother.

"Yeah?" this time he couldn't hide the hope in is voice: he really wanted to have an excuse to come in between the two before that staring match degenerated.

"I'll protect you; even if I have to go against my own family." The knight stated, crushing Yuuri's hopes.

'I don't want you to!' his mind screamed. He really didn't want those two fighting, even less if the cause was him, the prospect alone made his head spin.

"I don't _need_ you to!" the not yet Maoh finally deadpanned, but his reply didn't even seem to be acknowledged by either party, the situation really started to weight on his chest.

Minutes passed, the tense silence only making all present resent an uncomfortable form of illness, though Yuuri might have been the more affected. The more time passed, the more he felt sick. His heart was beating at an incredibly fast rate, so much he felt the need to grip at the cloth near it in a vice grip. His head had started developing a very unwelcome migraine too, and the simple act of standing suddenly seemed to hurt his every joints. His body seemed so…heavy, tired and…weak. He couldn't understand why the situation had him so deeply afflicted.

Finally, the brown haired soldier broke his stare contest with his brother, though the action didn't seem to lessen the tension or the infuriating pain the disguised youth was experiencing. Slowly, but assuredly, he came closer and closer to the very pained looking Yuuri, making the dark grey haired lord's shoulder tense perceptibly.

Not even bothering to ask for permission, he once again brought his face to a close meet with the younger male's, kissing him swiftly and retreating like the thief who wanted to look like he hadn't done any wrong, although he was seen in board daylight. The action efficiently brought the knight's full blooded brother to take an angered step forward, and the two brother's love to grip at his chest all the more firmly and look like he currently wished that he didn't exist altogether. But the truth was that, right now, Yuuri was experiencing too much of a headache to even proceed his knight's actions, even the feeling of the shaped and dry lips softly meeting his had been lost to his present torment.

Not waiting for the demon lord to make his own move, the half-breed knocked over the cart Yuuri had been holding on with his unoccupied hand for dear life, efficiently spilling the contents on the carpeted floor and making Yuuri lose his balance at the surprise. The young, wig wearing half, wobbled for a bit, not comprehending his surrounding or the fact that he couldn't seem to feel the wetness, or the smell of the tea stained carpet as he fell down to his knees on the soft floor.

"Sorry Yuuri, this is the only way." Conrad's soft voice informed, a hint of sadness and guilt tainting his words.

The double black blearily registered his muscular, dark haired retainer bowing down while keeping his eyes trained to the ones of his half-breed brother, bringing to his own mouth a strange, unpleasant taste. Stress overtook his senses as he recognized the infamous knife and fork on the ground among the tea cups debris, and the oh-so terrible implications that came with it. He didn't feel good, probably even worse than that time when he woke up after his very first night of hard drinking and woke up to the strange looks of his retainers.

The disguised Maoh didn't know if he should be glad or horrified as the strange taste that had been slowly filling his mouth seeped out, and stopped his new fiancé's action with one look of horror. Conrad who registered the look on his brother's face also turned to face the terrible sight of his Yuuri, who was now discovering the strangely red and ominous looking liquid that seeped out of him as he looked through his reflection on the discarded silver plate that had, just moments ago, sustained the weight of a tea kettle, cups, some silverware and two innocent slices of cake. But his reflexion only seemed to bring a sad and shaky smile to his now crying face.

"Ah…so that's why…it hurts…" he whispered as his arms suddenly didn't feel like supporting his weight anymore and he slumped into the nearest surface, which happened to be Gwendal's chest as the distressed male had disregarded his brother's challenge to come to his side, leaving Conrad to yell incoherently at the guards to fetch medical help.

"**YUURI**!" the demon lord called, his voice shaking about as much as his breaths and arms, as he held closely the man he recently discovered his love for. But even that cry from the heart, Yuuri couldn't hear past the wall of his terrible headache and pounding heart beat. All he could do, was scream out the terrible pain he was now experiencing.

"GAHAAAHH-"

* * *

><p><strong>*Back to camp*<strong>

"-AAAHHAAAHHHAAA!"

"What's going on?" Conrad yelled, ready to kill the first one who dared to give him the wrong answer.

"The onslaught of maryoku we pumped into his majesty's body was too sudden! Right now the link is fluctuating and suffering from it!" Gisela stated as she and Anissina cut all the catheter wires that were supposed to bring more demonic energy into the previously catatonic king.

"The link his majesty uses is actually much more complex than what I had expected, thoughtlessly giving it raw maryoku strength won't help!" Anissina quickly added as Gwendal and Gunter stood as far from the king as the tent would allow them to, afraid for their own energy to arm the monarch, but even more afraid of leaving the tent entirely.

"Couldn't you have seen it earlier?" The dark grey haired demon raged, never before had his childhood friend's invention failures annoyed him to such extend.

"It's not that simple!" she uncharacteristically screamed in distress as the laying king, now in his knight's secure embrace, kept on yelling in obvious pain.

"Can't you do anything for him instead of dwelling on it?" the double brown knight yelled at the others, while tightening his embrace on the wide eyed, screaming, but still very unconscious monarch.

"As it is now…we can only hope his body will manage this sudden onslaught…" the green haired medic deadpanned, only making the continuous screams sound even more terrible and painful.

* * *

><p>A.N.: Poor Yuuri, I just love making him suffer! And now young Conrad declared love war to his brother XD. I just thought that young and fiery as he looked to be in his old self, he wouldn't have just accepted for the one he loved to be stolen right under his nose.<p>

Julia, she was already engaged and ready for marriage when he first met her, so I doubt that he could do anything apart risking his deep friendship link with her if she refused him, seing how she said she found her fiancé "interesting". When she died, his personality changed, especially after his journey to earth where he decided to dedicate his life to baby Yuuri only. Then Yuuri got engaged to Wolfram before Conrad had any chance to know whether he'd love Yuuri for Yuuri or for Julia, cutting right off all of his chances at acting on his own feelings. And then settling for a parent/child relationship in hopes it'd keep his feelings 'platonic' or at least, in hopes he could convince himself of that, while forcefully disciplining himself to call Yuuri "his majesty", which we all know could only make matters worse with Yuuri's innocent nature and "call me Yuuri, nazukeoya."….

Well, that's _one_ of my theories regarding these two anyway.

**Are you feeling hungry for ****a special super long Kit-Kat Break? **(let's return to the basics, since it's the 10th chapter, and poor some light mood to the previously badly written bloody scene -_-; )

Did Yuuri get drunk once? Of course, he's a healthy adult with an oppressing fiancé! ...Anyway. (I got inspired by one scene from _Pandora Hearts_, for those who know of the anime/manga)

It was on one of those 'outing missions' the king loved to do: like taking care of bandits, visiting the country side and get into random trouble, etc. This time, he had inconsiderately wanted to get away from the whole troop of protectors that always surrounded him. The simple enough plan, to just mount his faithful black/blue horse and ride into the morning sun after making sure most of retainers were busy somewhere else (it was a very busy week with dignitaries awaited at any moment), turned for the worse (of course, I mean, it's YUURI), when, arriving at the closest little village, not only was he attacked by random bandits that were sure to appear whenever he decided to take a stroll, but found out he had clearly been followed by Yosak and a bunch of soldiers…

The uproar he had still caused at the castle forced his retainers to pursue him. And by the time the bandits had been taken out; laying unconsciously on the ground while muttering prays and having nightmares about **Justice**; he, Yosak, Gwendal, Conrad, Wolfram and even Gunter and Cherry were invited to a great feast to thank the king and his advisors. Of course, Yuuri also planned on reprimanding his advisors the second they were out of the villagers' earshot, for not informing him of their previous troubles with the random bandits.

Within the village, there was one rather large "house" that was left for parties; it was rather bare, only with a few couches and a small fireplace for the cold nights.

They had laid more liquor and alcohol in front of the innocent monarch than he had ever seen in the castle's own cellar. Conrad was kind enough to explain that it was this village's specialty to let the wine age with perfect accuracy and make the tastiest liquors, a fact that Yosak had wasted no time in checking.

Yuuri had had a few drinks before, never much though. So he calmly sipped on the different glasses of wine, liquors and then even the strong beverages that he was sure would make his teeth fall off. He watched amusedly as Wolfram started yelling "wimps" at random objects and people, half dreaming and half drunk, barely after two cups of wine. Gunter wasn't much better, but after a while his own mind got fuzzy enough to forget the details. He probably got _really _drunk right after Gunter started hugging Wolfram, which only ended with a heavy punch from the drunken blond.

**Cherry:** My! They're so lively!

**Gwendal:** No dignity.

**Yosak:** Aww~! Everyone needs to lie back a little! Don't you think we deserved some drinking time?

**Conrad:** I only wish his majesty wasn't involved in this.

**Yosak:** He's not a child anymore you know! *look in Yuuri's direction* Ooops, he got drunk already…

**Cherry:** What? He just fell asleep? How boorish!

**Gwendal:** At least he isn't making a fool out of himself like those two. *points to Wolfram and Gunter*

**Wolfram**: Gah! Stupif winks ow a fwiancé! Ima gonna tweatch yew a leason!

**Gunter:** Noooo! Your mawesty! GunGun will pwotect yow!

**Conrad:** Is that…one of your squad's men Gwendal?

**Yosak:** Poor guy, wouldn't want to be in his place…

**Gwendal:** …*making a little prayer for his scarifying soldier who was in the process of being ripped apart by Wolfram and Gunter who thought it was Yuuri*

**Cherry:** Ala! Shouldn't we ask his majesty to do something? The poor thing's going to have permanent damage if this continues!

**Conrad:** Isn't he sleeping?

**Yosak:** Hm? *goes to the couch were Yuuri decided to remain sprawled* Hey kiddo, you awake?

**Yuuri:** Mmmhnn…

**Yosak:** Hey kiddo! Why don't cha go and hug your fiancé so he calms down? *snickers*

**Conrad:** *sigh* Yosak~…*treatening*

**Yuuri:** Hnn… I…f yo… faw… hen…nee'n… eg….

**Conrad:** Yuuri? *approaches*

**Yosak: ** What was that kiddo? You gonna do it? Your voice's all muffled by the couch right now, you realize, right?

**Yuuri:** *gets up a bit* If you're askin' for a favor….get on you knees, lick my boots and b-e-g for it. *serious and Maoh like mode*

**Yosak:** …

**Conrad:** …

**Gwendal:** …

**Cherry:** …

**Yuuri:** hmph! Not gonna do it? *gets back down on the couch*

**Cherry:** Wow! He really looked like a true _demonic king_ right now! *excited*

**Yosak:** I'm…just a bit scarred right now…

**Gwendal:** …. (Me too)

**Conrad:** … (So he impersonates his mother when drunk?)

**Wolfram:** WIMP!

**Gunter:** MAWESTY!

**Gwendal:** *rubs his temples* Seriously, stop these two!

**Wolfram:** How, dave YOU! You CHWEATER! *approaches Gwendal*

**Gwendal:** *sweatdrop* Not me!

**Gunter:** NooooOOoo! His Mawesty'z mIne! *grips Gwendal's arm*

**Wolfram:** NooooOOo! GunGun cwan't twouch this! *takes the other arm*

**Yosak:** Err- Guys~…

**Gwendal:** *ignores* What the hell? Let go of me!

**Yosak:** Really, listen to me~! *starts to panic*

**Conrad: ***spots Wolfram trying to drink some more while tearing Gwendal's jacket* I really think you've _all_ had enough to drink…

**Yosak:** Anybody home~? You see, I'm just a slightly little bit terrorized over there~!

**Cherry:** Such a touching scene~!

**Gwendal:** Mother! Are you drunk too?

**Yosak:** DAMN IT! I'M OUTTA THERE! *runs*

**Conrad:** Yosak-…?

**Gwendal:** What the hell-!

**Wolfram:** Ohhh~ Nyace bwue light~

**Gunter:** All sparkwy~ Is the wine 'n water dancin'~?

**Cherry:** Oh, so he can use his powers even when drunk?

**Yuuri:** *throws water dragons at Wolfram and Gunter and flushes them out of the building* *sigh* So noisy. *gets up*

**Gwendal:** *sitting on the ground from the shock and a bit disoriented* Err- Was that…necessary?

**Yuuri:** *gets in front of Gwendal and shows him his right foot* …

**Conrad:** Yuu-Your majesty?

**Yuuri:** I helped. *deadpan*

**Gwendal:** Y-yes?

**Yuuri:** Show some gratitude. *nudges him with foot*

**Yosak:** *gets back in now that the danger has passed* Basically it's "kiss my ass-I mean-boots and show your gratitude by being my slave", I'm translating for your own safety, if you know what I mean... *points to the raising water and swirling blue light around Yuuri*

**Gwendal:** …

**Conrad:** … (It's definitely Jenifer)

**Cherry:** *squeal*

The very next day, a ban on feeding the king and his fiancé any sort of alcohol related goods was silently agreed upon by the two elder brothers, sons of the last Maoh. The only one daring to overlook the ban being Yosak…and Murata who had been left out of the fun (**Murata**: MuraMura says that it's not FAIR!).

The morning that had followed, Yuuri couldn't remember much of anything, but people started acting strange around him.

It took at least one week for Wolfram to come over his shock at waking up next to Gunter in a compromising position, while drenched from head to toes with some alcohol smelling liquid (Gunter recovered in less than a day since he was convinced he wouldn't do anything if it wasn't Yuuri).

It took at least two weeks for Conrad to stop paling whenever he said any of the words "dress", "cute", "girl", "curry" or "wings" (although it was kind of fun to see just how much colors a man could lose by associating all these words in a single sentence, as hard as it seemed, smiling sweetly like a caring mother also added to the effect, for some unknown reason).

It took two weeks and a half for Cherry to leave for her journey for love and therefore stop her from looking at him like a delighted proud mother hen and wink at him suggestively at each meal.

Finally, it took a good month and a half before Gwendal accepted to look him in the eyes, and another month before he agreed on meeting him without his squad's heavy protection around him (much to Anissina's delight as well).

The haze that surrounded Yuuri's memories and the uncomfortable feeling of having done something completely out of character were probably what convinced him that alcohol was **_bad_** for his..._retainers_' health.


	11. Waking upcan be painful

**A.N.:** New chapter! Let's not keep you all waiting! XD

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>**: Waking up…isn't always good…**

He felt a steady pressure over the left side of his abdomen. It didn't hurt, just, pressured on his guts a bit. It wasn't like his sleep drugged mind could understand if he should worry about it or not.

But his senses came back to him, slowly, without rush, and he started to take in his surroundings.

The fresh, afternoon warmed air drifted over his peacefully laying form, making the shorter hair of his fringe tickle his face and neck a bit. The soft smell of water, the light ashy smell that came from the way the maids washed the castle's linens, the smell of wax used on the bed spots that supported him and even the smell of mold that gathered naturally in-between the castle's stones, all those reassuring, familiar smells registered slowly in his brain, one by one as he relished in the softness of the bed underneath him. He took in the extremely soft material of the linens under his palms as he tentatively flexed his fingers, regaining control over the small limbs. Unfortunately, his ears still seemed too deafened to process the chirping birds that were supposed to cry their usual calls for bad omens…maybe he shouldn't complain about it though.

The more he came back to the harsh world of consciousness, the more the weight on his guts seemed heavy, uncomfortable. He tried to voice his inconvenience through his irritated vocals, but the feeble moan/whine that grated his throat, more than it efficiently called for help, didn't seem to bring anyone to his aid.

After a few seconds of waiting helplessly, he came to the decision that he needed to attest of his surroundings through his own two eyes, at least that way, he might be able to understand _something_. Maybe why he felt so weak, or why he was in bed, maybe to know if there was _anyone_ in the room he was left in. He couldn't seem to remember how he got there anyway, all that came to mind was, the blurs. Many blurs of colors and the searing pain that had sapped all of his strength without warning. There were hands too, lots of hands, pressing and prodding and hurting him more, making him cry out. His throat was probably sore from all the screaming he had done, he remembered that too: screaming to get it all to stop.

He slowly regained control over his tightly closed eyelids. It wasn't the hardest part. The hard part was to make them open when they felt like they were stuck shut with superglue.

He spent quite some time, trying hard to convince himself that he really should be opening his eyes now. That he needed to get back to the world, to full awareness, to the warm colors and light. When his eyes finally opened to small slits, he let himself adapt to the sudden light that reverberated against the too well waxed wooden roof of the canopy bed he rested in. Finally after much effort and convincing, his eyes were fully opened, ready to take in more of his, now clear, surroundings.

He let his eyes appreciate the dark, polished wood of the canopy bed some more before managing to divert them to the dark blue velvet curtains, then to the grand windows, followed by the enormous bookcase and wardrobe. Finally he observed the stone walls that had intrigued him so much not so long ago, right after his last trip to earth to be exact. Not only did Blood Pledge castle keep its walls entirely bare, but the floor also. It was the only one. All other castles he visited had coatings and decorations, sometimes hangings made of various themed tapestries to cover the unwelcoming grey stones, but not Blood Pledge Castle. Even in his earth medieval history lessons, he had been taught that the walls of churches and castles were _never_ left bare. The demon's royal castle was such a wonder…the same went for Shinou's temple. But he had never dared question Gunter about it, least he wanted to have a whole day lesson about the pros and cons of having the royal residence completely devoid of wall decorum.

His random musings were interrupted at the small sound of rustling sheets, down to his left. He directed his eyes and head to the direction of the sound; imperceptibly, he also started to discern another type of sound: the sound of someone breathing calmly and steadily as they slept the day away.

And there, he had one question answered. His eyes met the slumped green form of Gwendal von Voltaire, still in complete uniform, but very asleep, his head comfortably nestled on his stomach, as if his middle had been some kind of comfortable pillow. He smiled at the heart warming sight. The man never failed to calm him down, although it hadn't always been the case, there used to be a time when he was terrified by him, but he had ended up _knowing _him past the frown barrier.

He slowly claimed back the possession of his left hand, disengaging it from the lax grip of his retainer's and from under the large chest. Once disentangled, he gently took it upon himself to brush the messed up, dark grey bangs. The weight on his tummy was still a bit uncomfortable, but he still relished in the feel of the silky strands, while being careful not to hurt the other male as he untangled them, or by pulling on the ones kept in check by the ponytail. It wasn't every day you had a chance to _pet_ lord von Voltaire without fearing for your life!

'He kinda looks like a sleeping wolf: cute now, but growling whenever he's up…" he internally mused.

Unfortunately, his _petting_ time was interrupted by the stirring of the older male. His hand relaxed on top of the dark hair, letting the demon lord recover from the last treads of sleep. The older male slowly awakened, he rose from his spot over his charge's stomach, leaving the area feeling cold and empty, the lord himself still eying the spot like he wanted nothing more than to occupy it again. The hand he had felt, from the depth of his dreamland, limply fell back on the covers as he readjusted on the chair he was supposed to _sit_ on.

"Yuuri?" he finally asked as his mind cleared enough to register the state of awareness of his one man audience.

"Did I wake you?" the double black cringed at his hoarse voice, immediately regretting his action.

"I shouldn't have slept to begin with… I'll fetch you Gisela and some water. You're not hurting or feeling anything bad, are you?" the lord stated as he rose from his chair, still very worried about his charge's health.

"…No..." the Maoh acknowledged after a rapid check over himself, but before the older demon could leave, there was another thing he needed to know, "Gwendal!" he called.

"Yes?" the dark grey haired male answered as he turned his head back to the frail and pale looking man on the bed, his hand ready to open the door to the outside and fetch the green haired female healer the second he was allowed to go.

"I'm…home…aren't I?" he asked after a small pause, hope rising in his voice as he looked at the softening face of his always calm advisor.

"Of course. Don't worry, as your fiancé, I'll take my responsibilities. I'm not ready to let go of you." The lord smiled reassuringly, probably mistaking the question for a want for assurance that he wasn't going to abandon the young servant because of what had happened. Somehow, this reassured the dark lord also, knowing that he wasn't as disliked as his brother had tried to make him believe.

As the demon lord left the room in his hurry to get back Gisela, he did not see nor ear the pained face and sigh showing Yuuri's disappointment.

He had been so sure that he had heard his _true_ godfather and advisor in his dreams, so sure…and yet, all of it might have just been a dream. Or a nightmare: they had sounded so distressed, but somehow, it had felt so good to hear them that he didn't feel the remaining dark feeling usually there whenever he had gone through a nightmare. Strange.

In anyway, dwelling on it would only hurt him right now. He was still in that "cross dimension" space where he had ended up Gwendal's fiancé…

'I sure hope that Super Extra Stupid Idiot Conrad (all capitals needed) and Gwendal didn't go through their Stupid duel while I was out: I'll never forgive those two Idiot Fools for it, if they did! They can't just fight over me without even asking for permission! What the hell went through their Air Filled Brains when they were stuck in that office anyway?' the dimension traveling Maoh internally grumbled, finishing his inward speech with a heavy sigh as he patiently waited for the healer to arrive.

Now that he was alone and awake, he finally recognized the room as being Gwendal's. It was so obvious he wondered how he could have even _hoped_ that he had been brought back _home_. Hope was such a blinding light…

Before he could go any deeper into his usual thinking pattern, the door to the first prince's bed chamber reopened loudly, letting in a displeased looking, green haired medic. She no less than violently closed back the door into his fiancé's face before making her way determinedly to him, obviously asking to be left alone with her current patient. Yuuri wasn't too reassured by her impressively serious face.

"You seem like you're doing better, here, have some water. I'll need you to talk for a bit." She panned with a mock gentle smile on her face that didn't fool the double black in disguise for a millisecond.

"O…ok…" he answered querulously, ready for a heavy punishment, although he had no idea what wrongs he had done.

He quickly grasped the offered water and gulped down a generous amount to ease his irritated throat. Though he would have preferred something hot like tea or the likes, he wasn't about to complain.

"Generous amount of stress and lack of rest, is what most probably caused you such a reaction…that's my version of it to everyone else. There's also the hanging possibility that you were poisoned." She stated emotionlessly, her statement making her younger patient choke on his last gulp of water.

"I was not! It's impossible! All I ate this morning was Shamploo's cake and he would not-!" he started, horrified at the idea that people would accuse the good willed cook, but Gisela interrupted him.

"It could have been in the water, but don't worry, tests will be running and they wont find anything. You don't need to worry about anyone…other than you." She stated, making Yuuri wonder where they were heading, but he had a bad feeling about this.

"So…I didn't pass out because of stress and unrest then. Is that what you're saying?" he asked, feeling nauseated from all the going around and avoiding the facts, the medic merely nodded before giving her full explanation.

"You're unexpectedly sharp." She mocked, having the laying man make an indignant face. "I chose to talk to you, before deciding if I should tell the truth to anyone else." She stated.

"The truth?" there it was, another dark feeling settling in the pit of his stomach, he hoped he wouldn't get sick right now.

"A disturbance in your maryoku." She deadpanned, pouring light on the dreadful situation without a hint of her emotions reflecting in her tone.

Of course, it was impossible for a half-breed to have a _disturbance in his maryoku_, simply because they weren't _supposed_ to have _any_ maryoku. Huber's daughter was a one in a hundred million case, and he was…not from this world. He could only guess what sort of chaos the knowledge that some half-breeds could be born with maryoku could bring. Especially if they knew of the other thing…

"I was surprised to see you were a double black too…" the green haired medic added, crushing any remaining hope Yuuri might have had.

Quickly he brought a handful of his bangs to his eyes, fortunately, what he brought to his vision was still the reddish brown colored hair of the wig. Questioningly, he looked back into the emerald orbs of his most efficient healer.

"That either: I didn't tell anyone. And I suppose lord von Voltaire was too much in a hurry to notice your eyes… I noticed the wig when I was examining you. I was surprised, but as I saw your eyes…I understood that my diagnostic about maryoku disturbance wasn't as impossible as I first thought. I checked you all over, you're definitely a half, yet, you have maryoku and looks that can rival even the noble, pure blooded families here. It should be impossible, or a very, _very _rare case, but to such extend… I simply can not explain it rationally. So tell me. Why? Why did you come here under disguise? You could have said you were a full blooded demon and at least drop the len-! Or maybe not…" she quickly caught back her last statement with the now clear view of the male's black-black eyes, it would have been impossible not to raise people's curiosity with such deep oblivion colored eyes, and double blacks were extinct, none had been born for the last millennium or two.

The few demons who had black hair or eyes, weren't even close to _that _level of pure blackness. No, the youth before her absorbed the sunlight with his eyes, and probably his hair also, so strongly it was impossible not to be completely mesmerized and feel curiosity burning up at the sight, even _Raven _had some remaining colors in his hair: an electric blue, but not the youth in front of her… No matter how she looked at it, the double green doctor couldn't find something to back up her previous musings: it was certain that a double black coming just like that to them would have been nothing but a tool used for the worst. With the war, she could understand why he would want to hide his capabilities and looks…but now.

"Thank you, Gisela-san, for not telling anyone. Ah! But Yosak knows too, if you're wondering, and Ulrike and Shinou as well. Also, could you keep this between us?" the double black softly asked, smiling at the lost look on the medic's face, she must have been confused all that time he was asleep.

"Why?.. I'm sure lord von Voltaire would back you up…he was so worried for you, I never saw him like this…he was so-…just for you…" she confusedly tried to explain, breaking down a bit as understanding weighted on her.

She though she could have just been angry at the young male, instead, she was lost, torn apart by her feelings as she understood a bit why the person in front of her couldn't show his true self. Yet, she was also sad for her "uncle". The best friend of her adoptive father was finally obviously in love, and yet…it had to be like that…so complicated.

"It'll end up badly, no matter what I do. I know that. And I'm sure you realize it too. Please…let it be for now." Yuuri tried to calm her down, smiling sadly as he realized how hard it must be for her, he was just a stranger here after all.

"For now…for now I'll let it be. But please, don't hurt him more than necessary. I still think that you should tell Sir von Voltaire before he finds by himself…it'd be the worst." She stated, it was obviously all they needed to talk about.

"I can't make that kind of promises." He answered truthfully.

"I see. In any case, I'll keep the version stating that you collapsed because of stress, I'll have you checked for ulcers, and that should be enough to explain your…most impressive symptoms." Gisela explained as she turned around to leave, after leaving a pair of dragon scales on the bedside table for her patient. "Also, please sort out your relationship problems before the symptoms start again. Maryoku disturbance is a hard case, we can't explain from where it came from, it was like someone had intentionally messed up your energy with his own. Be careful. I'll tell your fiancé he can come back now." And with that she made a straight line for the large wooden door and left.

* * *

><p>It was about thirty minutes later, when the door to the large room opened again. Yuuri lazily tuned in its general direction, he had almost dozed off while waiting, even in his now half sitting position, propped up against the headboard as he awaited Gwendal and his usual frown. He was surprised however, when not just the dark blue eyed demon lord came into view, but Conrad as well. He sure hoped they didn't intend to fight right there…<p>

Conrad approached his bedside while Gwendal remained next to the closed door, waiting. Knowing that the brown haired soldier might have something to say, he turned his undivided attention to his straight and tensed form. They waited in heavy silence for a while, Gwendal and Yuuri waiting for the (not) knight to speak, and the captain waiting for his thoughts to be in correct order.

"How…how are you feeling now? Gisela said you were…tired." The brown eyed soldier stated, Yuuri knew perfectly well what Gisela had told the two, but it seemed that they believed it was a taboo subject, especially since they were the most stressing people around.

"I'm much better. I slept plenty, right there. She'll check me some more later; but it seems that it's really all it was: a bit of _fatigue_." He stated, still very obviously angry at his knight for what he did earlier that very same day, what time was it anyway? He felt kind of hungry right now…

"I guess so, it's already almost dinner time…" one question answered. "I…came to apologize. It was really thoughtless of me: asking my brother on a duel without properly thinking about it first, I was too forward. I must have shocked you. It's probably my fault you collapsed. I truly am sorry." The brown eyed soldier bowed down until his upper body was perfectly perpendicular with his legs, making Yuuri feel nostalgic-wait-it hadn't been _that_ long! He shouldn't be nostalgic _already_!

"Ah-herm! Well, it _really_ was stupid of you to act like that. I don't know where you saw that I would appreciate you two fighting for any reason! As for my health, everything's back in order now. So don't worry. So long as you don't have any more _grand_ ideas anyway…" he added dubiously, he became a bit worried as he saw his knight tense at the suggestion.

The knight slowly came back up, crisped and vigilant, looking straight into Yuuri's eyes to make sure of _something_. What was _something_ exactly? The knight himself wasn't sure to know...

Conrad turned around to face his older brother, searching for…support? At least to Yuuri, it looked like those two had made up _nicely_. The problem being that the double black wasn't sure he would appreciate the change of atmosphere…as strange as that might have sounded coming from him.

"Yuuri!" the knight finally turned back to his love, resolve written deep into the brown orbs that were fully focused onto Yuuri's lens covered ones.

"What is it!" the disguised youth answered just as suddenly, he had been so surprised at the sudden change that he had answered on automatic, somehow, it sounded mocking, but his godfather didn't seem to give a damn.

"Do you like me?" he just as bluntly asked.

"WHAT? Err-I mean-of course I like you! That's not the question. Why do you have to make it sound so weird and important?" he asked back, surprised and not quite fully comprehending.

"I mean…would you love me? As you would love him…" the captain stated as he pointed to his older brother, his blunt resolve had slowly started to melt in front of the _too_ innocent and confusing foe he now faced.

"I don't really get what you mean…But if it's about the _kissing_ thing then I'd rather you wait till I've sorted my thoughts…the both of you." He panned, making Gwendal tense a bit as he realized he was now implied.

"I'm sorry, Yuuri. I guess all that really was too fast for you. But we'd really want you to think about this now. It can't wait. I want…a straight answer to sort my own feelings…if not, I'll just claim you the way I first planned to. I love you Yuuri. There's no going around this. I love you, I feel for you, I want you, all of you. I want to see you, to ear you, about you, every day, all the time. I think of you and I want to touch you…intimately. I want to _feel_ you-!" the brown haired male went on, only stopped by Yuuri's flailing as he obviously couldn't ear anymore.

"Wah! S-stop! I get it! I get it already!" he flailed some more while saying this, shocked to hear his perfect godfather and knight sprout such perverted words, maybe he should see them as erotic? In anyway, it was too shocking! "Shock! Shock!" he cried like a desperate player who called for a "time out".

"Of course…my brother feels the same. That's where we have a problem." Conrad stated once Yuuri had calmed down a bit.

"Y-you want _me_ to choose?" the poor youth asked, his face already the same red as cherry's infamous lipstick, to which both men gave a slight nod.

"You're unexpectedly sharp today." His knight smiled, making Yuuri want to punch his perfect face: it was the second time in less than an hour he had heard _that_… "Please, understand us. We can't stand in these uncertainties for much longer. At least, let one of us bury his feelings and not dwell on them. I know I might be less advantaged in this situation, but it'll only worsen with time. Besides…I want to hope." The gentle knight smiled softly, remembering Yuuri with a heart wrenching squeeze to his lungs, of the Conrad whom he respected and considered almost as part of himself.

He wanted to cry. Cry like a child and call for the help of his _true_ godfather, of his retainers-damn!-even Wolfram, Gunter or Shori! Anyone! Anyone to just pull him out of this mess right there and then! He couldn't take much more of these-…these conflicting feelings, this messed up world, those Stupid brained look alike, this war, this castle, everything! He wanted to cry…

"ENOUGH! Enough is _enough_! I've had enough! Enough of you! Enough of the two of you and everyone else! Choosing-_choosing this_! I don't _want_ and I _can't_ do it! Your feelings… All of this is S-T-U-P-I-D! I won't _choose_ any! That's alright too isn't it? Just call off the engagement and let me back to my previous position! And the two of you! Just. Forget. IT. Like you or love you? I used to think I loved you _both_, maybe not in _that_ way, but still! But I realize that this is _stupid_! What kind of idiocy is this? What kind of foolishness is this? I don't have _time_ to deal with this! If there's _something_ that I want, neither of you is _part_ of _it_. It's not either of _you_! Have you even ever _stopped_ to _think_ about what you were _saying_? You _love_ me? I've been a _servant_ there! I've been a servant there for a _week_! You two can't just…up and go with it! The both of you are just confused! You don't even _know _me!" he screamed at the two dumbstruck men, they hadn't expected such a strong outburst from the ever joyful and smiling male.

"You think we haven't stopped to wonder about this too? But ever since you were there, it felt like we had known each other for _years_! That was the only explanation! I don't know…but do you believe that I would-that I _could_ be so _unreasonable_ as to do all this if I wasn't _sure_ that my feelings for you weren't so completely-…so very-…so-! I don't even know if I can describe this! I just-just!-!" it was Gwendal who snapped this time, coming close to his fiancé.

He couldn't put definite _words_ on his feelings; love was a vague and surprisingly weak way to explain them. Instead, he went close to Yuuri, ignoring his confused and surprised younger brother, the poor thing might have wanted to say the same words, but it was war…It seemed so important right now: to do this by himself.

Once his love was at arms length, he didn't hesitate to prove his previous point by plunging in for a passionate meet of lips. He might not be an expert, but he knew enough to recognize the shivers he felt under his palms as his arms protectively circled the frail looking shoulders. They were not shivers of disgust, Yuuri wouldn't be reciprocating the soft moves of his lips if they were, they were anticipating waves of pleasure he felt radiating from his fiancé. The kind, he knew, he felt too, he felt them running along his spine, coil around his stomach, and seep low into his guts like warm liquid of passion, making him want to curl his toes and pounce.

He did his best to devour his love's breath away, opening his mouth, inviting Yuuri's to mimic his actions, and tasting the youth's lips like a tease, when he actually just lacked the confidence to plunge his tongue into the unsuspecting cavern. He absentmindedly noted the hands that made their way to his heavily clothed chest, the long fingers entangling into the material of his jacket, powerless, confused, and hesitant as to what to do now that they were here. Push away? Bring closer? Maybe just try to keep the main body from melting down, and support it in this moment of helplessness…

When, finally, the older demon found enough courage to ask for permission by lightly caressing the disguised double black's lips with his moist tongue, the needy whine that escaped the younger's lips, born from the accumulation of heat he was experiencing, broke the two apart. Their surprise at the unexpected sound having forced them apart, they came back to the reality of a remarkably…dark aura surrounding the still standing half-breed.

"Brother?" he smiled in an amazing way and with an incredibly threatening air that said in perfect calm 'My sweet big brother, I love you, I really do, but I'm going to rip your guts out and shove them back in through inappropriate places while I laugh like a psychopath': that kind of sweet smile…which, all in all, you never _ever_ wanted to have directed at you.

"Y-yes?.." the very terrified Gwendal acknowledged, looking almost as horrified as if his little brother had suddenly revealed he was Anissina's hidden child and _loved_ to aid her in her experiments.

"I thought we had an agreement." He deadpanned, his smile looking boarder and boarder by the minute, which quickly made Yuuri realize why Yosak was often terrorized by Conrad's simple smile: it was his way of showing his dark side in a very unexpectedly threatening manner.

"O…of course…" the older brother agreed as he looked like he wanted to….knit…_badly_.

"Anyway, Yuuri. It's obvious that we can't accept to _both_ be left out. But if you _really _don't feel like choosing then…" he began, then eyed the younger half-breed with a mischievous look in his eyes, obviously thinking that he could attest of Yuuri's determination to reject them both very _easily_.

Which he did.

Just like _that_.

Not having a second thought as he went in for the kill. Not an ounce of hesitation as he took advantage of the surprised gasp. Not a tinge of remorse as his mouth connected with Yuuri's and his tongue violated and _raped_ the soft inside of his love's mouth, forcing the disguised youth to flail and grasp at the knight's shoulders painfully as his brain failed to proceed what sort of _sexual_ thing was happening to his mouth. And the double brown made sure to quickly stop the kiss before Yuuri's brain could acknowledge the violent way in which his mouth had just been possessed.

"Instead of choosing neither, why don't you choose both?" the devil knight asked with an evil satisfied smirk, licking his lips as he wanted nothing more than to plunge in again and ravage the double black in disguise to the deep end.

And with that said, Yuuri promptly fainted.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.:<strong> Yuuri, you poor thing~! XD

**Yuuri:** I-it's proposing a threesome…isn't it?

**Zel-chan:** My~! How unexpectedly sharp~!

**Yuuri:** Shut UP! Are you mocking me?

**Yosak:** How sharp…

**Zel-chan:** don't forget the "unexpected" part.

**Yuuri:** YOSAK? You traitor!

**Yosak:** *ignores* Yeah-yeah, it's _sharp_ **and** _unexpected_. Aren't you scarred that he might get too out of character if you make him out to be _this_ intelligent?

**Yuuri:** What? I've been king for _six_ years! And I'm not _that _oblivious!

**Zel-chan:** You're right… I'll be more careful next time (make him stupider and denser is going to be hard though…).

**Yuuri:** I HATE you both! *cries*

**Break time~!**

**Gwendal:** What the hell WERE YOU THINKING? This isn't what we agreed upon!

**Conrad:** Yeah but… It really looked bad on my side so… I really didn't want to be rejected, besides… You were about to be dumped as well. *nods to self*

**Gwendal:** Yes but…you _do_ realize the implications, right?

**Conrad:** Implications? (which ones?)

**Gwendal:** *sigh* I can't believe you didn't! Do you even know what you proposed? *annoyed*

**Conrad:** Of course! I proposed a threesome! *deadpan*

**Gwendal:** *cough-cough-splutter* R-right… T-then…how do you plan to make _it_ work?

**Conrad:** "It"?

**Gwendal:** …s-s.e.x….

**Conrad:** Well the basic principle is to do it all togeth-!

**Gwendal:** *sigh* I see you finally get it.

**Conrad:** *shiver* Damn! I didn't realize! I was so excited at the prospect to have Yuuri…I completely overlooked that matter…

**Gwendal:** So? What now?

**Conrad:** Let's do a threesome_ separately_.

**Gwendal:** ….Just so you know, I'm first.

**Conrad:** No way! I'm the one for the firsts!

**Gwendal:** What? I'm his fiancé!

**Conrad:** Do something about that too!

**Gwendal:** No. (I win)

**Conrad:** Then together!

**Gwendal:** We already went through that: we can't.

**Conrad:** It's true that it's repulsing, appalling, disgusting, nightmarish,-!

**Gwendal:** You don't need to list them…

**Conrad:** For Yuuri, I'll bear it!

**Gwendal:** Really?

**Conrad:** …

**Gwendal:** Look at me in the eyes and say it again.

**Conrad:** *staaaaaaares* *staaares* *fails* I-I can't…

**Gwendal:** I thought so.

**Conrad:** To live with the memory of having sex and coming while looking at my brother…I can't!

**Gwendal:** *sigh*

**Conrad:** Or maybe…if we close our eyes…shut down the lights…keep silent…we could imagine there are two Yuuris…?

**Gwendal:** …*imagines*…*blushes*…I-I'm not into that! And it's not gonna work!

**Conrad:** I guess not… But I'll find a way!

**Gwendal:** I'm worried...


	12. Should I get worried?

**At your service**

**A.N.:** New chapter! Thank you all for your reviews!

*sigh* I completely failed at my exams so the next few weeks I'm gonna retake them… v.v; the few next chapters might take some time then, be patient ^_^ (Art History is tougher than English (or so my grades say) XD).

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>**: Should I get scared? (Yes, you should)**

**Back to camp:**

"How is his majesty's condition?" Gwendal grumpily asked his childhood friend once he had finished donating his maryoku to the new and improved 'I'll save your ass-kun' (generic name decided by Yosak).

"My new invention should be more mindful of the density of his majesty's link now, it was approved by Lady Gisela too. So it should be fine now." She stated, still a bit wary since her last fail.

"I see…" the dark grey haired lord trailed off as he turned his attention back to the 'sleeping' form of his monarch.

"…You're still so meek." She sighed as she observed her long time guinea pig's face.

"It's in my nature." He replied calmly.

"Really? I remember a time when you were as fierce as your youngest brother and as emotive as Gunter. A _real_ pain to deal with! But that's also why I used to like you. I don't like the silent types: they bore me too much." She stated, reminding herself of old times…a thing which, all in all, she didn't really like to do…

"Well. It's how I am now! And I don't plan on changing back for you. This stage of my life is no more. If you want noisy, fiery and emotive, go and ask Gunter to be your lover, at least, that way, he might stop being a pain whenever _this_ (Yuuri) is involved." He threw back, unnerved; he disliked rummaging through past things, what didn't work, didn't work, there was no need to dwell on this and try to go back.

"I already did, and that didn't change his infatuation one. single. bit. But having an energy source at close proximity really _is_ an advantage!" she happily informed her old friend who immediately started choking on his own spit.

"Wh-WHAT? Y-you? And him? And You! H-how?" the demon lord gaped, astonished by what he just heard.

"You expect me to answer you, before you confess how you ended up in love with _him_?" she retorted while pointing to the sleeping king.

"W-what? I don't-!" he stuttered, unable to straightly refute her accusations.

"Sure you don't. Men are so _easy_ to read! Just a second ago you had that look on your face saying 'I want to jump him sooo hard right now'!" she teased.

"I did NOT!" he began, his face heating at his female friend's perversions, and here he thought she had grown out of it.

"Oh~? Then was it 'he must feel sooo _tight_'?" the inventor asked, her eyes turning malicious at the sight of her sputtering male friend.

"N-no! And isn't it _worse_ than before?" he cried as her smile widened.

"Then~: 'I wonder if I could have my way with his body and erase evidence before someone finds out!'?" she finished with a Machiavellian laugh as the dark haired lord looked at her with "Horror" clearly written on his handsome face.

"Please…someone stop her…" he whispered his complain as he knew pertinently that _nothing_ could stop her mind at that point.

"I could be your partner in crime if you wish. I'd never say no to a little spicy, juicy secret to keep." She joyfully provided.

"I'm sure you wouldn't…Except I'm sure you mistook 'share' for 'keep' in that sentence…" Cherry's eldest son sighed in defeat.

Tired by the exchange, he decided to leave the tent, maybe find his little brother and have a chat with him… Or maybe just when the headache would leave.

Anissina let him go, her smile only disappearing once he was completely out of sight. She knew him very well, and she knew that he must hurt from his unwanted attraction…

Maybe she should finalize her 'I'll make you love me even if by force-kun' once and for all.

"Well… It only makes sense if he gets through this…" she whispered to the empty air as she turned to the unconscious monarch.

'There's only so much one can do against time…' she internally raged, her fists and jaw clenching as the wheels of fate didn't seem to head in a favorable direction for them at the moment.

After one last glance, she left the ever paler looking king to his peaceful 'rest'.

* * *

><p><strong>On some side universe:<strong>

"The both of you…" Yuuri stated as he critically observed the two men who had, not a few minutes ago, both declared their burning love for him, "…are going to be the death of me."

Actually, the double black could have included the third party in that one statement: Wolfram was going to _kill_ him if Yuuri ever managed to get back and tell of his adventure. Of course, he didn't need anymore misunderstandings than there already were.

"That wouldn't do any good. I'd much prefer to have you living and breathing for what I had in mind." Conrad stated with a smile, the dark look he was currently receiving from his introverted brother (along with the trademark twitching eyebrow and frown) told volumes of the lord's thoughts about his younger brother's earlier proposal.

"I _really_ don't need you to remind me _what_ is on your_ mind_! I think I've had enough! Fainting two times within the same day (not even using maryoku) is too much already!" the disguised double black complained.

"Then…you won't agree?" the double brown asked, looking serious and a little dejected, he knew full well that he could only be the second choice if Yuuri refused his proposal, luckily, Gwendal wouldn't go against him openly, just because he loved him too much for that, he felt a bit like a jerk for thinking this way, but the means justify the end…or something like that…?

'I feel like I'm about to abandon a small, tail waging, eager, innocent puppy on the side of some deserted motorway… I _really_ don't like that look of thrust and _love_ he's aiming at me like I couldn't _possibly_ refuse him… And here I thought the spoiled brat was Wolfram… Cherry, your sons are _evil_! Wait! They're demons… so isn't that normal? GAH! I'm lost!' Yuuri internally cursed and debated on what to answer his knight, before Cherry made one of her infamous appearances to decide for him…like the last time.

"G-Gwendal! Don't you have a say in the matter?" the ex-(Maoh)-servant asked, hopeful that the taciturn male would do something for him.

"No matter what you decide I-my feelings for you cannot change…not at this point…so I'll do anything, so long as you're willing." The older male stated, nodding to himself as he realized that he'd rather share with his brother than be abandoned.

'You're NOT helping _at all_!' Yuuri internally screamed; his discontent showing through an irrepressible twitch to his eyebrow.

"So? It's not a bad deal is it? Two for the price of one! And we won't fight anymore! Plus, it's not like you _dislike_ being kissed by either of us. I'd even say you _loved_ both!" Conrad tried to sell the advantages of his proposal, the million dollar smile on his handsome face didn't help any in the objective decision one had to make.

"Yet, you completely overlook the _pressure_ I'm going through at the moment…" Yuuri whispered to himself, his complain dying with a sigh, as anything he might want to say to counter his knight would be immediately absorbed, chewed, and spat back out by the radiant smile that was definitely _not_ open for discussion…

"I guess it's going to be like that then… Should we talk to mother about this? It's going to be difficult you know: I can have more than one consort and you're pretty high ranked too, but sharing a consort is a bit…err-well, it's not very common; especially between brothers." Gwendal stated, looking at his younger brother as Yuuri's decision became evident with his previous sigh of defeat.

"I'll have it figured out…besides that, shouldn't you be going back to her by now? There's a war going on, if I recall correctly. And if you're not here, Stoffel is going to worsen the situation all by himself…_again_." Conrad stated in all seriousness, a dark look passed his features at the mention of his _dear_ uncle.

"Mazoku's sexuality is so…deranged…I never knew you could take such…liberties…" Yuuri complained on the sidelines, obviously not part of the two's world any longer, well, he didn't think he was anyway.

"Yes, there's a war going on…brother. And as a captain of your own unit, you should go back to your activities of training you men and leave my room, in which, you officially still have nothing to do in." the dark blue eyed lord replied, eyebrow twitching, and facing his half-breed brother in a silent duel of stares to decide whoever would win the first round of alone time with the laying, oblivious youth on the bed.

Finally both lost with a "humph!" and silently agreed on leaving the room together to get back to where they were supposed to go.

"Have a safe trip." Yuuri called out to the two males, his own mind already elsewhere into the wonderlands of gutter as the brothers left the room while warningly staring at one another.

* * *

><p>Unfortunately for Gwendal's boiling mind, his troubles were only beginning. He very quickly realized this after the firsts few minutes of his arrival in the throne room where he saw Huber approach his mother with a wicked and determined smile gracing his lips: definitely not good news. But that wasn't the worst of his troubles!<p>

No.

The worst came right as Huber kneeled in front of the Maoh, bowing respectfully before opening his mouth to deliver who knew what sort of evils to the world. And Gwendal couldn't possibly ignore the way the cruel and wicked eyes were so obviously directed towards him.

"Your maj-!" Huber began, ready to take his hate and revenge to the next stage, but he was rudely interrupted by the sound of the grand double doors to the throne room opening to let in one of the greatest evils in Shin Makoku, besides Briscella Geigen Huber himself of course.

"Big Brother!" the new comer yelled at the top of his youthful pure blooded demon lungs.

Yes, _that_ was the worst.

"Wolfram…" the dark grey haired lord stated "Please don't just _barge_ in there. This is the _throne room,_ it is made to receive _audiences_, _formal_ ones, with no undignified cries!" the eldest of the three brothers complained.

"Yes! And there was a meeting going on: look, lord Briscella Geigen Huber was about to inform us of some important matters!" Stoffel added for good measure, making his elder nephew tense and nod, even if he wasn't really eager to hear about Huber's "important" news, especially since he had received his _evil eye_, he still had to make good figure.

Had Gwendal known, even a quarter of what Huber's "news" consisted of, he'd have considered his little brother as a godsend… Maybe built him a small temple or something…

"See if I care!" the impetuous youth yelled authoritatively, making all present, except Cherry, wish the young male had received better education.

"I don't mind. We'll just discuss this matter later tomorrow." Huber smirked, no matter the outrage; he couldn't ignore his chance at having the young blond prince coming back with such perfect timing.

Such a precious ally in his war against half-breeds could only come in handy with his plans for fame. Plus, the light grey haired noble could only suspect that the young male's rage was directed at a common foe.

"Brother! I heard an awful rumor spreading around the city through our own guards! They defame you by claiming that you became infatuated with a mere half-blood servant! Proclaiming that you would choose trash such as this to be your consort! You cannot ignore such slanderers! The seed of this awful rumor has to be within the castle! This needs to be punished!" the blond raged, horrified at the fact that someone would spread such terrible words about his dear brother.

Huber smirked, just too pleased by the youth's incessant rambling to restrain himself. That was just…too good for him~! Oh, the boy would serve his side well, alright! He couldn't resist the _temptation_!

"Young prince, if I may, the _rumors_ you heard might, _unfortunately_, not be as unfounded as you had believed." The light blue eyed noble stated mysteriously, making Wolfram gape at him like he was some mad guy with three heads proposing him to go on a six months trip on the sea.

"What do you-?" the blond prince started, literally _shaking_ in rage and wishing he could just punch the older noble for even _suggesting_ such foolishness: it was his _perfect_ older brother they were talking about!

"Oh, but Wolfie~! Don't you think it's _romantic_? Ah~ My big baby finally found someone he _loves_! Mommy is _so_ happy! I'm supporting this union at one hundred percent!" Cherry suddenly squealed, delighted by the change of subject from war to _love_ stories…her eyes sparkled with joy to the point where no one could find anything to say to the _respectful_ Maoh, right away.

"W-where…" Wolfram began after he had finished gaping at his mother and throwing a disbelieving and _betrayed_ glance at his, previously admired, older brother, "Where IS SHE? I'll teach that woman her rightful place!" he finally screamed heatedly glaring daggers at his audience, daring them to try and stop him.

"It's a man." Huber deadpanned, his reply had been automatic and emotionless, but it had efficiently struck the youngest prince with yet another dumb moment.

"I-it's-…." The blond began, slowly processing the words while his mother, uncle and brother merely nodded affirmatively.

"It's a man." Cherry repeated.

"Definitely a man." Stoffel echoed just so he wouldn't be left out, although he only had a glimpse of the current topic of their conversation, the words going around and his young sister's rambling were enough to at least know that much about the aforementioned servant.

"Hn." Gwendal simply agreed.

The same sex thing wasn't a big deal in itself, but the young noble might just have been confused by the fact that there weren't _many_ male servants that he knew… and it was true that not many of them could be considered _decent_ choices… And if they were, they usually ended up being at the Maoh's exclusive service.

After five minutes of Wolfram standing in the middle of the cold stone floor without uttering a word, too in shock to process what he had just heard and seen, everyone agreed that the day had been long enough for everyone and that they should all go back to their respective quarters, while the young prince thought about the day's events.

After less than a minute, almost all had left the throne room in a hurry (to avoid being in Wolfram vicinity whenever he decided to explode), there only remained Wolfram, still dumbstruck, and Huber (probably suicidal). The older noble approached his pray carefully, not underestimating the sleeping beast. Here was his ticket for revenge: an easy support that would definitely be useful. Wolfram was the perfect pawn after all: easily fired up, easy to manipulate, not too bright whenever you decided to play a bit with his emotions, etc. P-e-r-f-e-c-t.

"My lord. I understand your turmoil." He sweetly whispered into the young noble's ear, like the tempting demon that he liked to be. He got the oblivious prince's attention. "I also tried to warn your brother, but…" he sighed in fake despair.

"T-that vile…._thing_!" Wolfram raged, the older male's act having already bought his trust.

"Yes!" Huber smiled, satisfied; now, all that was left was a little push in the right direction and…

"My lord, may I share a little secret with you..?"

* * *

><p>'Ahhh~! This world's gonna <em>kill<em> meh… So tired~… and I slept all day! Conrad~! I miss your calm, smiling, and subdued version! Well, it was fine as a friendship thing, but in a relationship it'll be like I got a new and improved version of Wolfram! …I hope he doesn't expect me to sleep next to him if he kicks as much as his little brother… I don't want to imagine it! Not to mention his strength is nothing alike Wolf's… I wonder if Wolfram will grow to be like Conrad, then like Gwendal…since younger Conrad is like him…nah! I heard Gwendal calmed down after his stepfather's death and Conrad after Julia's (Yosak is pretty good at rambling people's lives)…if the process goes like this, then…I probably won't see a good mannered Wolfram for as long as I breath… How depressing! Anyway! I'm getting sidetracked again! What was the main subject again? Oh…yeah…' Yuuri very suddenly stopped thinking as his mind turned blank again after taking a glimpse at the innocent item he had quickly discarded at the foot of the bed.

What was the item, you ask?

Oh, nothing terrible. So long as you don't look _too deep into it_!

Really.

_Really_!

The double black was sure that the maids, Yosak and Shamploo had visited and left the item as a present, believing it would…provide some help for his current situation… Yes. Surely they didn't leave him with _this_ out of pure ill will! No. This must have started with a good thought at the base…it just went a little out of hand afterwards…

Yuuri glanced back at the item. No ill will. No malice. No.

Very calmly, he swallowed hard and grasped the poor abandoned item on the bed, as soon as he did, he quickly brought it close to his chest to hide _it_ and examined his surroundings to make sure no one had seen him touch _that_. Once he was about sure that there was no spies observing him while he had _The Thing_ in his hands, he allowed himself to lower his guard and properly _watch_ the _thing_.

He should have been on his guard when Yosak had handed him that untitled…_book_…

Yes, the _thing _was a _book_. A book which title didn't appear on the worn out leather cover.

He should have been wary when the maids had blushed…

But the title _did_ appear _inside_.

He should have handed that _thing_ back the second Shamploo had screamed a mighty "AH!" and left to have his nosebleed somewhere else.

Oh~! He wished he had never learnt to read the Demon language! If he hadn't, his eyes and _brain_ would have been spared the _Basics of sex between men, learn how to excite your partner and prepare yourself for pen-_ he couldn't even finish the whole summary of the book in his own mind! There was something like a big 'blank' in between the time he began to read the first few words, and the time the book found itself at the end of the bed. His brain simply _refused_ the torture of remembering the words it had seen!

Worse than that. He just could _never_ ever take a bath with either male again, _ever_! The image of his advisor and godfather naked had somehow appeared along the process of his thinking… He knew their bodies well, since they had traveled to his bathroom on earth more than once and gone to many baths all together on certain journey when individual baths weren't always possible. In anyway, there was always somebody that had to watch out for his safety at all times when they were going out of the castle grounds, and being watched while bathing all by himself was hardly relaxing, even for someone like him who wasn't especially prude (he lost the sense of that word along with the one for 'pride' after he had been flushed back and forth through toilet holes….wearing the g-string).

_Anyway_!

There was just _no way_ he'd stick _any_ of _that_ anywhere! Really! What were they all thinking? This! T-this…_this, _was just _impossible_! As impossible as trying to make your middle finger go through a five yen coin hole! Like trying to make a skeleton key fit into your car's ignition lock! NO!

Yuuri eyed the _evil_ book warily. It was its fault he had these random, disturbing thoughts! Its author must have been some terrible, evil overlord! Surely some terrible _evil-evil _being from the seventh's layer of hell! Someone with a black-black soul that wished to kill him!

Just to make sure he looked into the title page…

And the door to his room suddenly opened.

"KYA!" the disguised double black exclaimed as, in his surprise, he threw the book against the wall that faced the foot of the double bed he was still resting in…the resounding "smack" it made was…discreet as ever, with Yuuri's trademark abilities for subtleness.

Gwendal looked at his fiancé curiously, wondering how he could have surprised the youth, enough to throw his choice of lecture to the wall, by simply walking in. He calmly observed as Yuuri remained still, looking at his hands like they had betrayed him somehow, he was sweating profusely…

"I'm sorry to have surprised you…I didn't intend to do this…" he slowly reassured as he made his way to the discarded book on the ground, oblivious to the youth's panicked look.

"Y-you came back…early…" Yuuri stated as he started sweating profusely when he saw that Gwendal was about to pick up the book he had 'planned to hide away then burn', before his hands had done something stupid. Yet, he seemed unable to do anything to stop the incoming catastrophe; he was just too shocked by the words that had penetrated his eyes.

The dark blue eyes of the demon lord settled on the book before he bent down to retrieve it. The dark grey haired male observed critically the blank leather of the discarded book, making Yuuri pray for his new fiancé not to look _into_ it. Finally, the lord turned his attention back to his petrified charge with a questioning eyebrow.

There was only one author that could have left their cover blank as a preference

"Are lady Julia's works interesting?"

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.:<strong> Am I cruel?

**Yuuri:** YES!

**Zel-chan:** Huh? What did you say? Not enough? All right! I'll work harder then~!

**Yuuri:** NOoOoO~!

**Conrad (young):** I don't mind too much.

**Yuuri:** *dark glare*

**Zel-chan:** Anyway! Gimme your REVIEWS! *addicted* Or he won't get any! *points to Yuuri*

**Yuuri:** Don't leave them…

**Gwendal&Conrad:** LEAVE A GODDAMN COMMENT! *threatening*

**Yuuri:** *eyebrow twitch* Isn't it _my_ ass we're talking about?

**Conrad:** If it wasn't _your ass_ about to be handed to _us_, we wouldn't care.

**Gwendal:** *nods*

**Zel-chan:** Just a few more reviews and chapters, and your ass is grass, Yuuri~!

**BREAK!**(I'm running out of inspiration so don't expect much)

The maids only wanted to help their new friend…

**Sangria:** What should we do?

**Lasagna:** I don't know!

**Doria:** *sigh*

**Shamploo:** And I tell you that we should just let them work it out at their own pace!

**Yosak:** Yo! (I sense mischief) Somethin' the matter? You all look down.

**Lasagna:** Yosak! It's terrible: Yuuri fell sick just this morning! He's all better now but…

**Yosak:** What? Are the guards keeping you from visiting?

**Sangria:** No, but…

**Yosak:** Haven't gotten any juicy gossip?

**Doria:** Well… Anyway! It's _worse_ than that!

**Yosak:** Huh?

**Shamploo:** It seems like they're disappointed with the recent turns of events.

**Yosak:** What for?

**Sangria:** Well… With Yuuri bedridden in lord von Voltaire's room…

**Doria:** He was _there_! Lying, helpless, defenseless, everyting! But-

**All three maids:** NOTHING!

**Yosak:** Huh?

**Lasagna:** N.O.T.H.I.N.G: no creaking sounds coming from the door!

**Doria:** No cries of ecstasy! No erotic screams or pleas!

**Sangria:** At this rate, they're _never_ going to do it! *finishes dramatically*

**Shamploo:** You know, it's not because the lord didn't abuse the kid while he was weak that there's something wrong with him…

**Yosak:** You were actually worried he was…err-?

**Lasagna:** He's _got_ to be impotent!

**Sangria:** It was, like: _the perfect chance_!

**Doria:** We thought of giving the lord a bit of _something_, you know, to get things _hard_ and _moving_.

**Shamploo:** NO ONE SPIKES MY COOKING! Food is _sacred_!

**Lasagna:** Or so he says…

**Yosak:** I see…

**Sangria:** Maybe we could get him a little _something_ so he gets the hint?

**Yosak:** I'm actually more afraid that the little master might be too innocent of the _workings_ of this sort of relationship.

**Lasagna:** There's that too. But we can't really help that, right? Shouldn't he learn through experience?

**Yosak:** I wouldn't be so sure, here~! I have _just_ the thing~!

**Shamploo:** What? A book? It's cover's blank…

**Yosak:** NOT any book: this one was dictated by lady Julia herself! I think lady Cherry also helped for this one though…

**Sangria:** Oh? I ignored she had an interest in books, she rarely asks for anyone to read them to her…

**Shamploo:** Let's see that *takes book*, a mere book can't help that much… *opens and starts to read*

**Doria:** What's this book anyway? Huh? Mr. Cook, you face looks kinda red…

**Sangria:** And your nose is kinda bleeding…

**Shamploo:** I'M SORRY! *drops book and runs*

**Lasagna:** *takes book and starts reading along with the other two*

**Sangria:** …Oh!

**Doria:** …My!

**Lasagna:** …Dear!

**All** **three:** SHINOU!

**Lasagna:** How did the ladies end up writing this anyway?

**Yosak:** Imagination…?

**All:** It's _PERFECT_!

They only wanted to help…really!

It was a good intention that went awry…somewhere along the way.


	13. The great reveal or not

**At your service**

**A.N.:** Thank you all for your reviews! Gimme more~!

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>**: The grand reveal…or not.**

Gwendal gently settled himself on the mattress, getting as comfortable as he could on the unoccupied side of the king sized bed. He glanced worriedly at the cocoon his fiancé had formed protectively around himself from the moment he had made his first comment on the book the youth had gotten from the maids… Just to be on the safe side, he hadn't opened the book and had left it on the bedside table.

Lady Julia was a person which you could take for a fair maiden, pure, powerless, delicate, gentle…generally you were of the lucky kind if that impression lasted for more than the five firsts minutes. She had a force of character to be reckoned with, she was stubborn, strong, and could shamelessly make use of innocent men (mostly Conrad or Adelbert) to carry around boxes and weights out of pure entertainment! But most of all, she hanged out, an awful lot, with the Maoh and Anissina…and those _loved_ to pull pranks…

All in all, he didn't want to know what kind of traumatizing _things,_ that could terrify his fiancé to the point of hiding under a bundle of covers, were written in that blank covered book…

Sighing deeply, the dark grey haired lord settled the multicolored yarns he would need to finish his current project, hoping his little brother n°1 wouldn't come back tonight: too occupied with the doings of little brother n°2… Frowning at the thought of being disliked by Wolfram because of his new fiancé, his relaxing knitting session began.

Knit. Knit. Knit…

Knitting had that relaxing feel to it…it allowed him to disperse his overflowing energy, if he didn't, there was no doubt that he'd be just like his two fierce little brothers. Really, those two needed to find something in which they could spend their own unnecessary energy…and he'd prefer it if that "thing" was _not_ _**his**_ _fiancé_!

Purl. Purl. Knit. Purl-

Damn. He lost a stitch….

The deep sapphire eyes lidded as the demon lord frowned upon his messed up work, trying to think on a way to get things back together, but he was distracted by a movement from the human cocoon.

"H-hey, Gwendal…. What kind of person is lady Julia anyway?" the disguised youth asked, his face finally popping out of the covers, sweaty from being under the stuffy sheets, blushing for completely other reasons that remained unknown to his one man audience.

'So, that _thing_ still bothers him…' the dark lord mused as he threw a glance in the direction of the discarded book.

"The same kind as mother and Anissina: the troublesome kind. Don't get near them." He deadpanned to answer the blushing youth.

'He looks so damn _cute_! The covers make him look small…I wonder if he'd let me pet him a bit-wait! He isn't an animal!' the frowning lord internally debated, torn between his innocent enough desire to cuddle the blushing mass called Yuuri, his own reputation to maintain, and his not so innocent other desires….

"I'm still a bit shocked… Anyway, what are you making?" he asked the strangely reddening male, his own blush still firmly in place, this time from being embarrassed at acting so childishly.

"Horse." The older man simply stated, turning back to his current "lost a stitch" problem.

"Hmm?" Yuuri pondered on the matter, observing curiously the different yarns, buttons, tools, and already finished pieces scattered on the bed….

'…it's gonna be a pig…with rabbit ears and….it's made of pinks and browns…. the eyes buttons aren't even both the same size or colors…and what is he _making_? A fifth _leg_?' Yuuri internally observed, an exasperated kind of twitch taking a hold of his right eyebrow as well as the side of his mouth.

"It's the tail…" Gwendal answered the silent question after he got tired of receiving the "WTF" stare from his fiancé.

"T-the tail… I see…err- I'll just go and get something light to eat…" Yuuri stated as he prepared himself to get out of his self made prison of covers.

But before he could make a move, he saw the shadow of his fiancé fall over his form, the knitting needles discarded on the far side of the bed. The shadow turned into a weight as the taller male settled himself a bit over his young fiancé's covered body. It was merely a spur of the moment type of action, but the demon lord didn't feel like drawing away now that he was blearily feeling the lithe body through the comfy blankets.

The disguised double black froze, expectant, as the other's face came close to his. His eyes closed automatically, and against his better judgment, he, almost unconsciously, prepared himself to receive the older demon's lips on his. He parted his soft looking lips as he felt the hot breath wash over them.

He felt stupid. Feeling so wanton at the idea of receiving a kiss, his very being demanding the attention, when, not so long ago, this sort of things would have been...would have been….what would they have been? The only kisses he had before that were forced ones by Wolfram…it was only natural that he didn't feel like reiterating this sort of thing. But those were somehow different…

But weren't those also _forced_ on his person? What made it different? The fact that he wasn't _asked/coerced_? Was he twisted?

He decided that should definitely make himself checked when disappointment settled over him; as his new fiancé, instead of aiming at his supple lips, changed trajectory and smooched his forehead instead. It was soft and affectionate, making him blush a ridiculous amount over such a small action.

Yet, the way he had been so expectant, the way the older male lingered, before he started kissing his way down his nose, then his lids, his cheeks, his jaw, it all seemed so much more intimate.

When finally all that was left was to kiss the double black's mouth, Yuuri could do nothing but wait helplessly, his entire conscious battling its best to resist the urge his body had to just lean up and capture the demon lord's lips with his owns. At the very least, his stubbornness wouldn't allow him to take this action a second time.

He felt ready to explode and give a needy moan when the kiss _still_ didn't come! Instead, his older companion's lips opened to deliver him another sort of teasing: his deep voice. So close to him, it rumbled like thunder while it said the strangest things, the chapped lips driving the poor youth crazy as they teasingly moved close enough to his for him to _feel _ the words with his own lips.

"Y_uu_ri. I want you. I want you beyond reason." He began, his words making the body underneath his larger form quiver and shiver. His mouth moved, still not finalizing their action over the wig wearing youth's mouth, the lord's right hand coming up to cup the side of his fiancé's face while his own mouth trailed over the youthful face until it reached a sensitive ear where he delivered the last of his words "Be mine." He pleaded before nipping at the delicate lobe, the body underneath arching slightly and gasping from the action.

The double black was lost. Confused over the meaning of the recently spoken words. Angered at the fact that his lips had been completely neglected by a man that obviously asked to be his lover-!

Lover…

A sudden flash of dark inked words on a pearl colored paper and the image of a naked body reentered his pleasure drugged brain, waking the youth as efficiently as an ice cold bucket of water over his head would. _Damn. That. BOOK!_

"Yuuri?" the dark grey haired lord asked as he felt the body he was holding suddenly freeze. He rose slightly from his position to look at his fiancé-

Flap. Roll. Thud. Roll. Roll.

…

The demon lord stared dumbly at the suddenly empty space under him. He gathered himself back a bit, hunching over the edge of the bed…

Nope. Nothing. No blankets. No Yuuri…

Just then the door to his room opened violently to let in a rumpled looking Conrad.

Said knight suddenly stopped at the strange position he just found his brother in, before noticing what was amiss in the room.

"Huh? Where's Yuuri?" the knight asked innocently as he tried to spot their common interest within the room, with no success.

The soldier saw his older brother sweat drop, obviously he'd rather not tell him…

"Err-… Under the bed." He blushed at his own deadpan like comment.

"?"

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><p>Yuuri sighed deeply, exasperated with himself. After last night's trauma, his new fiancé and knight had spent a stupid amount of time trying to coax his traumatized self from under the bed…he blushed as he remembered that the only thing that finally got him out was the prospect of <em>food<em>…

Yuuri sighed once more. Now he was sitting on a bench next to Cherry's self named flowers. He observed the secretive Gwendals and Conrad stands upon the earths, their respective bright colors not really complementing one another…they probably would not go well in the same bouquet…And yet.

Yuuri let go of another deep sigh. Warily he observed the _cursed book_ in his hands, wondering on how he could get rid of that _thing_. Burn it? With such a nice weather a fire would look out of place. Drop it into the pond? The poor fishes… How? How could his past self (well, soul) have been so-…so _evil_? Conrad had liked her so mu-wait! Conrad was a masochist…and Adelbert had a few screws lose…hell! Demons in general had to have a few screws lose…probably the excess of years. Then again…humans weren't much better…

Yuuri sighed…_again_.

"What's with the air abuse? Did it do something to upset ya?" Yosak suddenly appeared, his face coming to rest on the tensing right shoulder of the first prince's consort to be.

"Yosak…" The double black acknowledged, his tone threatening as the man responsible for most of his current troubles was casually using him as a cushion.

To Yuuri's horror, the failed spy's eyes fell on his lap…where the book rested.

"Hey! So? Did it _help_?" he asked with a cheeky grin, taking a few steps away…just in case.

An act that didn't really spare him. As in the second that followed, Yuuri took hold of the book, only to send it crashing into the redhead's unprepared face where it delivered a mighty "smack" like sound.

"THAT didn't help, AT ALL!" the disguised youth screeched as he got up fully from the bench, pointing an accusing finger in the direction of his newly sworn enemy, aka: 'the evil book of doom made by equally evil Julia'.

"Wha-ouch! Why meh? I'm as innocent as the lamb, I tell ya!" Yosak sniffed as he got the book off of his reddened face (from the hard hit that made about 9999 damage points) "And here I was sure it'd help ya get things goin'!" he complained.

'_That_ did the _complete_ **opposite**!' the double black internally raged, his eyebrow twitching uncontrollably.

"Err- Anyway…." The spy began as the hateful stare he was on the receiving end of started to make him feel uncomfortable. "I wondered if you felt like coming with me for a bit. Ya see: Wolfie came back yesterday; he didn't really look like he wanted to give you his blessing, apparently, but… Anyway, I thought that you could let him see ya before he gets the chance to get all furious and such: he's in the throne room right now, so he won't be allowed to get out of line right off the bat. It's a chance for you to start off on the right base~!" the redhead joked.

Wolfram coming back went directly to the top of Yuuri's "not looking forward to it" list. Second was-

"Ah, Huber will be there too though, so watch out and don't blow out of proportions over all the things he can sprout." Yosak warned.

Yeah…_that_ was second…or maybe first…so hard to decide!

"That's fine…but I'm using you as a shield if Wolfram suddenly decides he wants me toasted." The ex-servant warned.

"Can't you use water shields or somethin'?" the spy whispered his complaint, already fearing for his life (but mostly his beautiful face which had already been abused by flying books).

* * *

><p>Both Yuuri and Yosak quickly regretted their decision as, even though coming to the throne room as discretely as possible, they were immediately spotted by Huber who got his trademark "I'll make your life miserable" smirk in place. Wolfram also moved in close, making the disguised double black back away a bit. Gwendal who couldn't move from his mother's side watched the scene apprehensively, not liking the way things were going. Conrad, being among the audience at the other side of the red carpeted floor, couldn't quite well get to the other side to help his love and friend since he was without <em>very<em> obvious reasons to move and make a scene yet…

"You wanted to give us important information, Briscella Geigen Huber. Speak now!" Gwendal authoritatively called, he didn't want to let the man deepen the already heavy and stressful atmosphere.

"Indeed, my lord. I wished to inform our Maoh of the _treachery_ that surrounds us!" the light grey haired noble proclaimed, startling the audience, and making Yuuri's eyes widen: even if he hadn't been there, he knew very well what time it was by now, (future)Yosak had described that moment quite well to him…six years ago already...

"Treachery is a very powerful and ominous word, my lord. What terrible thing could have brought up such accusations?" Stoffel asked, he was actually more excited than worried, he tended to think lightly of war, probably because he was secure and wasn't in the middle of its horrors.

"The recent battles were very hard on our side, your majesty. I believe that the fault lies in the hands of certain people that would side with humans." Huber explained, making Yuuri pale even more, making Yosak worry.

"Stop him…" he whispered to the redhead. "We have to stop him, or something terrible will happen…" his words shook the failed spy. Not thinking that the double black could make such a terrible face for nothing, he prepared to send his "special subtle message" to his long time friend (aka: doing the monkey), only to be stopped by Wolfram.

"You're not doing anything…." The blond began, narrowing his eyes as he delivered the rest in a whisper "…traitor."

The redhead was shocked. Something was definitely _not_ right.

"What sort of demons could be siding with humans? Don't speak nonsense Huber, they despise us, and none of our tribe could believe they'd gain anything in return for their meager help!" Gwendal raged, something bad was coming, he could feel it.

"I'm not speaking about the demon tribe, cousin. I'm talking about those whose blood is not pure: those half-breeds that have been freely wandering in our country and mingling in with our people! Their cursed blood splits their loyalty! _They_ are the only ones that could possibly have given the enemy information." The light blue eyed noble declared.

"You speak nonsense!" the dark grey haired male proclaimed, annoyed beyond reasons, he could see his mother being shaken also, but unable to speak for herself.

"_You_ are the one who refuse to see reality, cousin. Your personal feelings are interfering with our country's safety!" Huber declared, throwing a meaningful glance at his cousin's fiancé to back up his statement.

"Because, _your_ personal feelings aren't interfering with your own judgment? Do you have proof of what you're saying? Or is this nonsense really the best you can do?" Gwendal shook.

'How dares he! That- That _thing_ thinks he'll get away with this?' Conrad, Gwendal and Yosak all thought at the same time, their fists tightening as if they were under the power of a single mind.

"I _can_ have proof. Just recently, I happened to walk the castle's corridors one early morning. Just to find two plotting traitors." He accused, glancing meaningfully in the direction of the two half-breeds that had arrived late.

'Oh, shit!' went through Yosak's brain as he immediately knew _where_ this was going: that bastard had probably heard them one time when he and Yuuri were alone… and what did they talk about when they were alone? They talked about Yuuri hiding something…

The 'oh, shit!' matching expressions the failed spy and Yuuri both wore were, unfortunately, easy to misinterpret.

Gwendal and Conrad didn't miss the matching expressions, immediately their feelings were torn: believe? Thrust? Betrayal? What to think? What to believe? What was true? All those thoughts became mingled, none of them knowing where they should stand.

Huber on the other hand, smirked, in his mind, he had already won.

"W-wait a minute! We weren't _plotting_ anything bad! Don't you know what a little fun is? And it had nothing to do with betrayal or war!" Yosak hurriedly tried to explain.

"Really? Then _why_ would that _man_ here, need to hide his "true self"? What _exactly_ would that man need to hide? Even from his fiancé? Could it be…that this man is actually a _human_?" the light gray haired lord asked.

"Wait! I can only refute you accusations! I checked him over when he fainted the other day! I can assure you that he is _not_ human!" Gisela suddenly declared, coming up to the man.

"Gisela!" Gunter called, as her father, he couldn't allow her to get near to danger, and if she protected a possible criminal…

The silver haired male came up in between her and the two half-breeds, throwing Yuuri a cold glare.

'Ugh! So that's what it feels to be on Gunter's bad side?…I feel cold. To think he usually runs up to me and gives me bear hugs…' the double black thought, a slight shiver running up his spine.

"Then there should be nothing to hide from my brother, is there?" Wolfram asked, he was uneasy and angered at the same time with the current situation.

Uneasy because of his mixed, and complicated feelings towards his little big brother. And angered by the fact that someone would betray his respectable "aniue"!

"W-wait! Hum…It's fine: see this guy there, he just has some bad memories and he's a bit… _shy_ and he's just scared to "lay naked" in front of others…err-you could say it's a traumatism?" Yosak tried to explain, throwing an apologetic glance at a terror filled Yuuri.

"If that's all there is, he won't have any trouble showing us now, right?" Huber smirked.

"You obviously don't know the meaning of Trauma…" Yuuri sighed, finally gathering his wits. Things were gone far out of reach, doing things half way wasn't going to cut it anymore; maybe there wasn't even a better timing…

"Oh? What was that?" the light blue eyed asshole asked, smirk firmly in place, probably mistaking the consort's shadowed eyes for a surrendering look.

"I'm sorry, but this is going too far…" the double black stated before griping the wig he was wearing and throwing it aside.

The blue colored maryoku started flaring from the slim form, eliciting purely shocked gasps from the audience, Huber, Yosak and Gisela included. The raw energy running through his veins simply disintegrated the lens the dimension traveling Maoh wore, leaving the shocked audience to stare at his ink colored black-black eyes. The pure oblivion which colored them made his spectators unable to discern the way they were slit.

The energy gathered to the point that every maryoku user started to feel its increasing pressure, blocking their own maryoku slots. The power used created a whirlwind, breaking the windows' glass, keeping all demons at bay from the double black on the loose.

"Justice be done!" Yuuri raged through his gritted teeth, unable to help this slight mishap of speech as he unleashed his full powers as a Maoh.

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><p>A.N.: "Your ass is grass" is actually what I wished him to say…but it's impossible for Yuuri, so I'll leave that to my overactive imagination! I have like…three or four different fics starring older Yuuri going on in my mind! Anyway…sometimes I forget what I wrote so I have to go back on my files and I have to rewrite certain parts…(like I forgot that I had Yuuri make advances on Gwendal…I do many things in a spur of the moment, because life is random like that!)<p>

Aside from that, the _After dark_ fic from Aozoran (I'm sorry I haven't finished reading all the chapters yet T.T) made me re-watch ep. 88 and I happily found that my version of Fierce Conrad might not be as far out of character as I thought it might have been! I'm quite happy to see that Conrad used to be a _pure delinquent_ before his journey on earth! Playing hooky and all! XD Must have been my unconscious memory card that remembered his rebellious nature! Lol.

**For those who were wondering.** (I might end up having a whole section for that sort of things). Skip if you don't care about my uselessly long explanations XD.

**Q. **What triggered the GunterxAnissina stuff? It's IMPOSSIBLE!

**A.** Really? I looked over a few episodes, and I actually find it a possibility. Look well. Gunter is probably the only one (aside from the very young, ignorant and innocent Yuuri from the very beginning of the series) that actually takes Anissina's inventions seriously and even looks forwards to it! Even if it's in the vain hope of finding his precious Maoh, I find it quite strange (I mean, he is _still_ an adult, with a memory and a _brain_, part of the ruling noble's houses! I'm sure even Wolfram (or Conrad if he could), no matter their boundless love, wouldn't spend useless time trying the most foolish inventions to bring their precious charge from possibly life or death situations!). There is also that episode when, after Yuuri returns, he is explained that Wolfram was supposed to take his place as the Maoh, but before that the ten noble houses had a meeting to discuss the possibilities, there's a flash back sort of thing, and the only one who _knew _about Anissina wanting to get the title of Maoh was Gunter (Gwendal was surprised and he looked at Anissina's brother who said he "had no idea"), he was also the only one who supported her (as he proposed her candidature). It's quite a long explanation XD. In anyway, I don't believe in the GwendalxAnissina possibility (and I don't like GwenGun much either), it's a personal vision, feel free to think whatever you want, but childhood friends getting together is even harder to believe than incest to me, even worse are the broken relationships getting back together! Broken things are broken. No matter how you stitch them up, it'll always be fragile and unstable, and I think I read somewhere that in the original novel, Wolfram told Yuuri that Gwendal and Anissina had had a bit of a story before. So yeah…there!

**Q.** OMG! Julia von Wincott, the pure maiden who had Yuuri's soul wrote something perverse? What happened to her pureness?

**A.** …v.v *sigh*… If there's one thing I always found strange, it was Shin Makoku's psychology! Apparently, women can become Maoh, but they are not men's equals (not going to battle and are expected to shut up and take it even though some are as good as men at fighting: ex with Anissina and that "sailor moon" girl who wanted Wolfram (I actually screamed Go, Girl! At that episode, just so Wolfram would be taken away from Yuuri…). Same sex relationships (at least for men) aren't especially looked down upon by demons (I'm a bit more reserved for the human's side because it was a less developed topic, let's just say they don't think of it as impossible like Yuuri does all the time), yet, it's not like women are disregarded… Most of the women shown in the show have strong personalities. Cherry is a man eater (XD), Anissina fights for woman's rights (though she sometimes doesn't seems to realize what her claims could do to her relatively easy style of living), Gisela knows how to be respected by men (but she likes to act cute all the same…), Shinou's temple is guarded by maidens which you do _not_ want to trifle with (plus they boss the great sage around), Ulrike is super powerful when she gets down to it (yet acts cute and gentle), and Julia is a boyish type of woman, yet she is considered very lady like, innocent and pure… Kyou Kara Maoh's women are a very delicate and complicated subject! But I believe they would represent the show's fangirls: supposedly open minded (because they're watching/reading shounen-ai), have strong characters (same reason as before), yet would prefer to hide it a bit (I admit I fake my innocence to the people I know XD), finally…they're closet perverts (come on, why did you click on the M rated story? Heh?).

**Q.** Gwendal and Conrad from the other side aren't going to get Yuuri's virginity? Can't they cross to the parallel universe? Do you really intend to make it GwenxYuuxCon? Is that threesome really going to happen?

**A.** I have my plans for this story, a quickly put together story board that tells me that I'm _far_ from finished! And who says that they won't get his virgin ass? His other self might be raped, his tangent body won't feel the effects (I actually made it this way so Yuuri could suffer even more *evil*). The possibilities are endless! But I can tell you that the path I have chosen isn't the easiest! Anyway, if I didn't plan to _really _make it a threesome I wouldn't have said so in the summary, it's the main aim of this fic, damn it (that and making my favorite characters suffer and bleed and-erm!)! It takes time to get together with some back story ('cause I don't know how to make pwp or one shots), but it _still _will come! Besides, if it hadn't been my intent I would have put either Conrad or Gwendal in second chara space…

**Q.** Break?

**A. **BREAK!

**Cherry:** Ne! Ne! Julia~! Do you plan on making another book?

**Anissina:** If you don't, I have a few ideas on which I'd love to hear your input.

**Julia:** hmmm… Let's see…. I haven't had many good or worthy ideas recently but…

**Gisela:** But?

**Julia:** *sigh* Conrad hasn't been coming a lot recently…I thought I could make an embarrassing and shaming fiction starring him, unfortunately… *side glance*

**Cherry:** I see… Well, it's true that it's easier to do it if you see him more often. *sigh* I remember when Gwendal was young~! I'd have so much fun with him! *^_^ evil*

**Anissina:** That you did, but he was never very popular because everyone thought he was scary, even as a child!

**Gisela:** *sweatdrop* …a-anyway (such evil people), what sort of fiction did you plan on doing lady Julia? I doubt Conrad needs any _more_ fans…

**Julia:** Well, you see~! *shows draft*

**Gisela:** …

**Cherry:** It does look a bit complex…And…won't your fiancé be a bit…uncomfortable?

**Anissina:** Not to mention this one isn't very popular…I mean…people **do** expect you to be with Adelbert.

**Julia:** *blush* Well, I'm not _that_ close to so many people…so my choices are a bit… *blushes*

**Gisela:** …(I really pity poor lord Adelbert. He's her fiancé and yet…she would…with Conrad…!)…

**Julia:** I guess it's not possible then…

**Cherry:** Well…we could always try~!

**Gisela:** (WHAT KIND OF MOTHER ARE YOU?)!

**Anissina:** Still. AdelbertxConrad isn't a very popular team…

**Julia:** Gisela, what do you think?

**Gisela: **…

**Julia:** Gisela-san?

**Gisela:** I WORSHIP YOSRAD and GÜNDAL! *V* è^é

(XD I don't even know how YosakxConrad shippers team up their names lol, nor do I know how the Gunterseme shippers place him as top…)…Please review~


	14. You will regret that!

**At your service**

**A.N.:** Thank you all for your reviews! I love them! I really lo~ove 'hem~! And I'm very sorry for the long wait, but this chapter just _wouldn't_ come out right! And then there was Vacation and bad test results…well. Anyway, I'm back! Though I don't have a lot of time to write right now, so updates will probably come slowly.

To apologize for all this I did my best with my first time experience at writing… something hot! (Well, I tried)

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 14: Someone's going to regret it<strong>

The whirlwind of pure, raw power, forced everyone to take cover, in anyway they could, sustaining the rage thrown at them and powerless to do anything against it. Pieces of broken glass from the grand windows flew haphazardly, barely missing a few innocent witnesses of this impending doom.

Yet, although the main dish still had to be cooked. It seemed like the power house that was Yuuri, remained unable to get the fire started. (I'm in Shamploo mode there XD)

'What the hell? I tried using less than a fifth of my maryoku and I'm already _this_ tired? What the hell is going on? This should be cake!' the double black inwardly cursed.

The more he tried to call forth maryoku, the less he had control over it and the more his body seemed to suffer. No matter how he tried it, his capacity had undoubtedly diminished to the point where, when he tried to extract and use more than a third of what he was usually capable of, his very being got shook as if persevering would only bring forth his demise.

"Yuuri!" the ex-servant heard the voice call, it sounded muffled, but he could still point it out as Conrad's distressed cry.

'I guess I'll worry about my sudden loss of power later… Still. For now-' Yuuri thought, getting a hold of himself and decided to finally end this before either of his self-proclaimed 'loves' decided to do something stupid, like going up to him to stop him while on a rampage… (had happened so many times before… or in the future… whatever, other dimension).

Using a lower level of maryoku, he quickly called forth any sources of water he could find nearby to create a single water dragon, which, while stopping the whirlwind, forced another gasp from the audience.

He barely paused long enough to have Huber and Wolfram, both struck speechless by how easily they had been handled, get their wits back and stand up to see their impending demise in the face. Once the two looked up and got almost ready to use their own means to fight back, Yuuri, a bit mockingly, threw the water dragon at them from above their heads, throwing the two down against the stone floor, rendering them unconscious.

Having had no time to prevent the unfortunate development from happening, the audience could do nothing but observe, powerless and speechless as two noble and powerful demons were K. without a second glance from the young double black.

Finally, Yuuri calmed back. Retracting his maryoku and sighing at the apocalyptic mess he created within the throne room.

"Your majesty." He called to Cecile/Cherry, getting her attention as she had been starring worriedly at her third son's unconscious form.

His words also allowed most of the room's occupants to get out of their trances.

"Yuuri…" she began, still a bit shocked, although she couldn't help but realize that her beloved son might have deserved it a bit, it only saddened her more.

"I'm sorry. I didn't really intend to go this far." He apologized, to her, and to the others as well. He threw an apologetic glance at Stoffel, who hurriedly hid back behind the Maoh's throne.

"Geez. Throw some warning before you decide to crash some evil party, will ya! You alwost scarred the poor things to death!" Yosak sighed from behind Yuuri, pointing at the Maoh's other two sons. "If you'll excuse me, I'm not too good at handling explanations…" he whispered in the double black's hear, before trying to get away from the scene.

"Neither am I. So stay here!" Yuuri whispered back harshly as he got a hold of the failed spy's collar.

"Shit!" the redhead cursed at being caught too easily.

"Your hair and eyes… I would have never guessed… So you are a pure blood?" the current Maoh gently asked, she did her best at staying level headed, as her position requested of her.

'With them talking like this, it's like nothing ever happened…' was the general thought going through most people's brains at the moment. Even the scarce guards didn't know what decision to take, but since the troublemaker was their first prince + general's fiancé, their confusion was only to be expected…

"I am not. Although I have these looks and that power, I am a half. Also, up until now (well, recently actually), I've had the lifespan of any normal human." He explained.

The two Maohs (though one didn't know the other was) stared at each other for the longest time. Then, as if lady Cecile had found in this drawn out staring match her silent answers to all her questions, she decided to have the matter lay down, to everyone's surprise.

"I'm sorry. I understand your turmoil and I know that you had no intention of causing arm but…well, for now, we just all need to rest up, recuperate and other such things. We'll decide what to do later. As you might have guessed, _you_ are no small matter. I shall ask over the ten noble families and we'll discuss your fate at that time. For now, everyone is dismissed!" she declared.

"May I humbly ask if my presence to this meeting will be allowed?" the double black hesitantly asked, he really didn't want those guys to decide his fate without him here, even if Gwendal and Cherry were to be there too…

"I'll see to that." Was all she could give him. And with that, everyone started making their shaky way out of the devastated throne room, medics already trotting away with the two unconscious, and only wounded victims of the recent catastrophe.

On the side lines, Yosak tiptoed near the exit, almost nearing his goal, he was, unfortunately stopped by a not so jovial looking Conrad.

"H-hey! Captain~!" he trembled as he acknowledged the looming man's presence.

"Hey, Yosak." He echoed with an emotionless voice. "I wonder for how long you knew about this…" he pondered threateningly.

"Err…" the spy quivered under the pressure of his old friend's _smiling_ face and threatening aura. 'Damnit Yuu-tan, I knew this is what you had planned for! Please, at least realize he's as hard to deal with for me than for you!' he internally complained.

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><p><strong>On another side line…<strong>

"I'm sorry father… I knew about it but…" Gisela timidly tried to explain herself to her oblivious father.

"T-that _noble_ hair~! Those _enrapturing_ eyes~! Ah! AH! AAAHHHNNN! H-how absolutely WONDERFUL! I-I think I just fell in love~!" Gunter snapped, losing consciousness as he lost too much blood caused by impure thoughts…

"Father~…" the green haired medic sighed. "Damn! I should have guessed that seeing a double black would cause such a reaction…he always had that _thing_ for _black_…" she sighed, exasperated.

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><p>"Yuuri." Gwendal started as he neared his fiancé.<p>

Said youth took a step away from the imposing male, ashamed by his recent outburst. He had been so afraid of the next words that were sure to leave Huber's mouth that he had lost it… Now that he reflected on his actions, he might have just been childish, because there was absolutely no guaranty that the noble man would drop the matter. Even if he couldn't pinpoint _him_ as a possible traitor, then it'd just be another half breed… He was just doomed, just like all the others were.

"I'm sorry. I…did some childish things. Like lying to you and everyone else, hiding and-!" the double black was suddenly interrupted by the other male, as the noble took his fiancé's hand lovingly in his, giving the youth a tender (but politically correct while in front of witnesses) squeeze.

"I'm not really mad. I understand why you would want to keep this hidden, and things have been happening so fast recently, I know there was hardly an appropriate time for you before…so, I'll just go on believing you intended on telling me this sooner or later." The dark grey haired male stated while extending his other hand to lightly pet the dark mane.

After realizing they were getting a few odd looks from disbelieving guards and soldiers, they silently agreed on continuing their business elsewhere. To Yuuri's fright, this elsewhere was called 'bedroom' by his new fiancé who took him there, head high and prideful even under the many blushing stares of the maids and guards on their path (not to mention Yuuri's "what the heck goes through their heads" reproachful glances at said guards and maids).

It didn't take as long as Yuuri might have wished to get to their shared room. Having had very little time to brace himself for what was to come, all he could do, as the door of said shared space closed behind him, was stand awkwardly where Gwendal had let go of his hand, unable to speak his mind.

Yet, the nobleman didn't seem bothered by his silence, as a matter of fact, he seemed to be deep in thoughts as his eyes roamed the body of the youth in front of him. Yuuri blushed slightly at the inspection, automatically lowering his gaze to the floor. The double black just guessed that his new fiancé wanted to absorb the fact that he was indeed black haired and black eyed… which wasn't an entirely wrong assumption on his part.

"It does suit you remarkably well." Gwendal finally breathed, making Yuuri look up in wonder. "Black, I mean." He added at the questioning look.

"Oh. Err-Thanks…" the Maoh-servant awkwardly answered, blushing.

A minute passed.

When Yuuri thought that maybe he could be left off the hook with just that, he suddenly felt the weight of a hand on his right shoulder. He looked up only to realize how close the older demon had come to him, looking at him intently, his dark blue eyes boring into the black depth of his.

He was about to ask the reason for such sudden proximity, when the lord cupped his face with his other hand, brushing his fingers lightly along the fine jaw, before he finally spoke out his torment.

"I… really want to kiss you right now." Gwendal whispered close to doing just that.

The dark grey haired man stopped less than an inch apart from those tantalizing lips, silently asking for permission. Had it been only, maybe, a day ago, such a thing would have had the youth frozen, blushing and probably fainting from the emotional stain; but now, he seemed to be much more at peace and…_used_ to these sort of situations.

The double black remained hesitant, however, not knowing whether he really should accept this invitation or postpone it. Somehow, he had little hope of going back home in the five seconds that would come, so the best choice was probably to just let go of his inhibitions for a while… what bad could it do? Even he, Yuuri Shibuya, could get tired of always going against the flow, a minute's break couldn't possibly be so terrible… And fighting it would most certainly bring another string of problems: maybe another fraternal fight.

Decided not to have this outcome play out again, he leaned into the older male, and to be more honest, kisses and shows affection such as these were becoming intoxicating. Not too long ago this trepidation, this proximity, these touches, he hadn't felt the slightest need for them, maybe he had at some point hoped for a girlfriend, but he was far from obsessed with the question. Now, however, it seemed so…vital.

Yuuri's lips ghosted over the ones of his new fiancé, accepting. The move gratefully taken by the lord who let the hand that had been on the double black's shin slide to the back of the young male's head, appreciating the silk like feeling of the long strands of hair against his fingers, as his mouth deepened the kiss and tasted the sweetness of the other's tongue.

Slightly surprised by the way Gwendal had so unexpectedly invaded his mouth most intimately, he couldn't help but let a whine/moan out as the foreign tongue stroked his. Taken over by the deep kiss, he allowed his arms to rise, letting his hands roam the heavily clothed chest against his, the palms going up until they could finally anchor themselves onto the large, square shoulders.

Encouraged by the caresses, Gwendal allowed himself a mirroring move, his left hand trailing from the frail shoulder, down to a thin hip, once again eliciting a strange but cute and relatively encouraging sound from the smaller male.

It was only when the advances made themselves a little too intimate, when in the heat of the moment the dark lord decided to take it to another stage and grasp with both hands the youth's legs and force them around his hips, that Yuuri realized the dangers of his position. Embarrassed and gasping for air, the double black tried to get away from the new position, very intent on having his feet come back to the ground.

"G-Gwendal? H-hum, err-!" he tried vainly to express his distress, but he was obviously misunderstood as the older male simply dropped them on the nearby mattress, the support allowing him to plunge in for another kiss without having to take his hand away from the lower parts of his young probably-soon-to-be-lover.

The double black got all the more distressed when he felt _something_ bulging and rubbing from the other's lower parts. His distress was answered by a terribly arousing stroke of a large hand against a _very_ sensitive part of him.

"Nha! W-wait!" he gasped as the kiss was once again broken.

"I want you." Was his straight answer.

'I could guess as much… And I'm hard too but-' Yuuri internally babbled. "R-right now? I mean… err- isn't it a bit too soon?" he tried to make the older male change his mind.

"No."

'Ok. That was hardly up for discussion… What am I gonna do?' the youth was starting to sweat, wondering how he could get away from the situation that was really getting too out of hand for his tastes, especially since his traitorous body so greedily reacted to the caresses.

"I'll make you feel good." The blue eyed lord added to ease his trembling charge's fear, not that it did much…

'NOT the problem!' Yuuri had a little mental break down as his mind said this, but his mouth had nothing better to do than let a surprised yelp followed by a pleasured hiss out as the large calloused hand somehow managed to undo his belt and slide within the confines of his undergarments, the G-string hardly being a proper protection.

Encouraged by the forming hardness underneath his fingers, Gwendal deemed his lovely servant willing enough to proceed. Raising himself off of the younger male, he proceeded to his disrobing, quickly getting rid of the long military uniform, removing his boot and unbuttoning the first few buttons of his underneath shirt, before attacking with renewed vigor his fiancé's tantalizingly displayed body.

At that point, even Yuuri forgot why he had to fight these advances. The hands, the heat, it was all very pleasurable, reassuring and intoxicating. His instinct told him to melt within this embrace, accept it and offer himself some deserved pleasure. His mind on the other hand was boiling with reasons to refuse this and run for his life, a redundant reason being Wolfram.

He knew one day he'd have big problems with being a man who followed his instincts…

The double black let his new fiancé unbutton his coat and shirt, allowing both to fall off of his shoulders once the work was done, Gwendal took the opportunity to lock them in another heated kiss.

'What the hell am I doing?' Yuuri asked himself, he couldn't think anymore about reasons and such, the raw touch of skin against skin completely shutting off his better judgment.

The lord almost ripped the rest of his shirt away as his desire became too confined. He was ready to be just as violent with his lower garments, when a hand stopped him, though it wasn't really his first intent, the double black still wished to restore some calm into the older male's actions.

Gulping down his lingering embarrassment, he slowly took out the leather belt and unbuttoned the other's pants, doing his best not to brush or press too intently against the very visible bulge.

It's only when the appendage, respectably large, was finally exposed to the air, right in his line of sight that Yuuri remembered why he had slept under the bed the previous night… It was even more apparent seeing as he had never witnessed his retainer in such a state.

He let his hand test the soft surface, the hot flesh, and appreciate the largess of the other's appendage. He was soon stopped in his curious exploration by the owner of said _thing_ (that was definitely playing in a whole other category far from his), who decided to get his charge back down on the bed, as the light touches had started to get much too teasingly insupportable.

With hardly any time to "yelp", Yuuri was in his newborn attire, along with his soon to be lover. He flushed as Gwendal stopped to take in the full view of his young fiancé's body, exposing himself as well in the process.

Yuuri felt his heart beating fast, unsure, afraid, and yet strangely excited. He surprised himself with the realization that he didn't feel like escaping anymore, quite the contrary, the whole thing was welcome. His body told him it was shamelessly ready, and it showed most when the older demon let his large and rough hands roam his thin body, feeling the muscles he had gained from playing baseball, the hardness of a male's body that trained daily but still remained very lithe.

The double black relaxed under the caresses, the large hands exploring every inches of his torso, his abdomen, his hips, his thighs, his legs, then back up. He unconsciously spread his legs when the hands rubbed the inside of his thighs, then lifting them. Gwendal was careful not to scare his fiancé, going slowly, taking detours before getting to his goal. He kissed the thigh in his hand softly, to gauge the reaction the younger male would have. Reassured by the small sigh of contentment from him, he allowed himself a more thoughtful taste, biting down slightly as his hand went to tease his lover intimately.

Yuuri yelped a bit at the action, strong waves of unknown pleasure rending him completely powerless in the arms of the dark grey haired male. He couldn't help the moans from rising, no matter his embarrassment at doing such.

"G-Gwendal…" he cried as a big hand started to stroke his erection, viciously teasing as it went too slow to allow completion.

At the sound, said male went back up to softly kiss the thin lips of his lover, yet never stopping the slow motions of his hand.

"If you want more, you'll have to show me…" he teased, the dark blues of his eyes showing just how lost in lust he truly was.

The double black gulped, unsure, but feeling obligated as the hand was suddenly taken away, leaving him cold and frustrated. A frustration he immediately let known vocally, but his only answer was his lover rolling to sit next to him instead of above, frustrating the youth even more.

Gwendal licked his lips in anticipation, he didn't want to have things cool down, but he wanted to let the other take the upper hand for a while, to see what he'd do, how he'd react, how much he wanted this to continue.

Yuuri swallowed his remaining uneasiness, as he rolled to lie perpendicularly next to his new fiancé, standing on his knees, slightly unsteady as the mattress didn't offer the most stable support. He let his right hand stay on the bed to help him balance while he used the left one to explore the other's body, a bit like had been done to him earlier.

He lasted a bit longer on the hard chest and abdominals, admiring with maybe e tinge of jealousy how the muscles bulged, hot and hard to define a very manly appearance. Gwendal was the evanescence of every women's dream and men's goal. Someone like Yuuri could only see these forms with envy while knowing his own condition wouldn't even allow him to get near that. Though he would have preferred a nice medium build like Conrad's, but Conrad was perfect… (and by definition read "unattainable anyway").

The muscles would flex under his caresses in the most fascinating way, touching the other only served in building up his excitement. Finally his hand came to the hot pulsing flesh that awaited him, painfully red and erect. Not quite daring to touch the other so suddenly, the double black settled for building up confidence by stroking the flesh around it, scratching at best the hair, bringing his hand closer and closer to its goal, a teasing that seemed to nip away at the larger man's self-restrain.

Finally, he let the tips of his fingers teasingly slide along the length, earning himself a warning moan/growl from the blue eyed demon watching intensively his every move. Taking note of the warning, he stoked the base and the testicles with more intent, but left the red tip alone, observing with fascination how his teasing seemed to frustrate it, the strong hips trying to lower themselves so his hand would run along the whole length.

Precome started to leak out of the tip, prickling a very dangerous sense of curiosity in Yuuri's instincts. Not really wanting to quit teasing the older male, a petty revenge for what he had done earlier, but still tantalized by the pearls of come threatening to fall on his hand. As a pearl came dangerously close to his clumsy hand's stroking area, he gave way to his curiosity and lowered himself to lick the thick substance away.

The cry his action elicited surprised him, along with the barely suppressed shudder that shook the body abandoned to his ministrations. Pleasantly assured that his deeds were able to bring the older male some pleasure, he licked his lips before going in for more.

Gwendal hissed, hardly able to restrain his desire to push his younger lover down to take more of him, as the double black pressed his tongue to the slit at the top of his burning desire, tasting the bitter and sticky fluid before wrapping his hot mouth over the whole head and sucking slightly as if he wanted to suck out more of it while he used his thumb to stroke the underside of his member.

The black haired half-demon suddenly had to take a bit more of the appendage as he felt a hand at the back of his head keeping him in place while the body under him carefully moved. He moaned low in disagreement as his actions were controlled, the grip on his hair keeping him from going further or otherwise. The vibration his protest caused only resulting in the tightening of the grip as the demon lord's body trembled under the strain of keeping his orgasm at bay.

When Gwendal finally settled back down and let go of Yuuri's black mane, said youth turned to him, annoyed but curious at the same time. He arched an eyebrow at the small jar the older man was holding, silently asking what it was for.

"It'll make it easier." Was his simple answer as Gwendal uncorked the vial and poured some viscous fluid on his fingers. "Although, perfumed oils aren't usually used for that…" he trailed off.

After giving another dubious look at the small container the double black felt his body suddenly moved, until he found his back on the bed again. Then he felt cool and wet fingers prod at that entrance, which he really didn't believe should be used as such, causing him to protest a bit.

His protests, however, died, as one of the slicken appendages suddenly found its way inside of him, turning his protest into a gasp of surprise, but mostly at the fact that the intrusion didn't feel more than a bit… strange. He had expected such a thing to hurt terribly, like when little he had to take that stupid medication that had him believe he'd be better never telling his parents when he was sick ever again.

The finger moved slowly at first, testing the flesh, some oil was added every now and then to make sure it remained slick. Once Yuuri began to feel relatively good with it, the rhythmic movement building up a certain amount of pleasure, he suddenly felt the intrusion disappear, only to be replaced a second later with two fingers.

There the stretching did feel uncomfortable, and by the moment the second knuckle was showed into his body a small amount of pain made itself known. Gwendal's fingers were large, and he did seem to realize the small amount of panic he caused his fiancé. The older male gently caressed a thigh as he started to move the two appendages within the hot grasp, wriggling and scissoring to soften the muscles.

He was reassured when Yuuri seemed to have gotten used to the sensation, at least until the youth suddenly gasped, surprising him, especially when the flushed male unconsciously pressed against his finger instead of trying to get away. He went up to kiss the blushing beauty, only getting more excited when the slender legs trembled against his own hips and thighs while their kiss deepened and his fingers kept prodding what seemed like a pleasure point within the double black's body.

"I can't wait anymore." He stated once he finally managed to end their passionate kiss. The demon lord didn't wait for an answer as he took his fingers out of the tantalizing body underneath him.

The younger male couldn't believe his own voice when he heard himself moan disappointingly at the loss. He had wanted that, this incredible tingling that made it seem like he'd come, yet frustratingly left him needing more. A strange sort of pleasure he wanted to last.

His loss was quickly replaced by an excessively large like object. He hissed as the hot member was pressed against his still too tight entrance. Pleasure was quickly replaced by a painful feeling.

Seeing as his lover's body still refused him, Gwendal cursed low, stroking the younger demon's erection while he tried to ease his own inside. After a minute of useless efforts, he decided to try a different position: the way he had to push the thighs against the other's body not looking most comfortable.

Yuuri was once again moved around, though he growled in discontent at being used like that, he didn't fight the change of position.

"It'll make it better like that." The dark grey haired demon told him as he kissed his shoulder reassuringly.

The double black didn't have time to argue about that as he felt more oil applied on his entrance, the small jar of perfumed oil using up to the last drop of its content. Unconsciously he lowered himself down on his forearms while his back rose to avoid the spilling of the bottle's contents on the sheets.

'Is he planning on driving me crazy? It can only be purposefully to entice me, really…' Gwendal internally growled as, really, the way Yuuri presented himself was screaming "come and get me already".

Like that, he couldn't resist the temptation to grasp the black haired youth's hips with one hand while directing his erection with the other. He couldn't help but watch as the ring of muscles finally gave way and accepted the head past it. He shivered at the exquisite pleasure of being finally engulfed, though partly, while Yuuri grasped the fact that his body was finally being entered, by another man, and it didn't feel quite so bad.

The body still resisted some though. Small thrusts didn't seem to get him any deeper, the dark lord supposed he shouldn't push it too much. It was the first time he tried to make love with a man and he didn't know its limits, maybe he couldn't get any deeper because of technical facts.

Yuuri felt his lover take a few long and slow thrusts, going completely out before getting back in. It was still unfulfilling though, like there could be more. He moved his hips a bit, but whenever he tried to take more of his lover in, his insides burned painfully.

The double black lowered his front completely, trying to get a better angle, and the next thrust shocked them both as the dark lord's whole member was suddenly swallowed up to the hilt into the twitching body of a gasping teen. Gwendal had even to still for a time trying to calm himself as the heat crushed him very pleasurably inside, making him moan low in his throat.

It wasn't long before he felt the twitching recede, indicating the body underneath him was getting used to his presence deep within. He heard Yuuri moan his name, urging him to do _something_.

And he did.

He started moving, easing himself in a satisfying pace, urging his orgasm without quite allowing it, to keep the moment longer. He felt with a satisfaction the body underneath him meet his thrusts wantonly. He wallowed in the way the double black writhed, gasped, and moaned under him, feeling him move in and out completely and loving it.

The Maoh, which wasn't one now, was completely lost in the feeling of being possessed in this way. He was being fucked and the way Gwendal pressed repeatedly against his sweet spot completely blanked out any thoughts that weren't associated with the absolute pleasure he was feeling.

Intent on pleasuring his partner, the demon lord took his lover in hand, stroking the erection in time with his thrusts. As soon as his hand started the process, he felt Yuuri lower himself again, gasping uncontrollably as his actions. In seconds he felt the body underneath him tremble as he cried, wetness spreading on his fingers and an incredible tightening feeling around his own need that took him over the edge right afterwards. He grasped the delicate and white hips as he rode his orgasm out, probably leaving dark bruises that would be undeniable proof of what he had done to this body, how he had owned it, loved it, and took its first time.

The two remained in place for a while, regaining their breaths and gathering their thoughts. Then Gwendal took himself out, causing one last gasping sound to escape the spent youth, then laid beside him, gently kissing the dark mane and pale neck. Yuuri turned lazily to embrace the older male, not wanting to break the contact even if their damp and sticky bodies weren't most comfortable.

It was in this peaceful afterglow that the bedroom's door suddenly jolted and opened, revealing the always perfect looking Conrad.

The rude awakening caused the double black to fumble nervously as Gwendal tried to hide their nakedness.

There was a blank in which a poorly hidden Yosak had his face meet with the hard wood of the door.

"Did I break the mood?" the knight asked nonchalantly although his smile was saying something along the lines of "you're dead for doing this" to his brother.

"You just broke the moment. Weren't you supposed to have something to do?" the demon lord panned, making the tension within the room almost take physical form.

"Errr- I Think I'll be going now… Y-Y'know, t-taking a shower and a-all that…" Yuuri stuttered as he grasped Gwendal's night robe that was innocently waiting on the chair next to the bed, and draped himself in the garment.

What he ignored however, was the aftereffects of their recent activities on his body. Which stuck him down to the ground not two steps away from the comfortable mattress.

"Yuuri!" the brown haired soldier woke up at the cry of pain emitted by the young ex-servant, going to his side the millisecond he saw him fall.

"Owww…" he cried pitifully, his back side hurting like hell. But not only that, there was also a strange wetness running along his thighs that he was almost sure was blood.

"Are you ok?" Gwendal asked as he went down to also stand net to his lover, rubbing his lower back soothingly, knowing full well where the pain was located.

The double black didn't answer, instead he touched the substance leaking out of him, scared at what he'd see, then he brought his hand back up to inspect the damage.

Not. Blood.

He didn't know if he should feel grateful for that or what, since Conrad didn't look especially pleased with the sight of his brother's essence being present on the person he loved.

"How could you!" the knight raged, turning to his older brother.

"He's my fiancé." Well, nothing he could retort to _that_.

"Will my opinion ever matter in those moments?" Yuuri asked (A/N: I was wondering that too), because the way the two seemed to ignore the true cause of his distress and his pain in favor of arguing with each other was the last straw! At least now he had the determination to get up and leave, his anger holding him up more than his legs could, as he used Conrad's shoulder to get up, then left as fast as he could on his jelly like legs, ignoring the throbbing pain.

He also ignored Conrad's attempt to help him make his way out, instead he caught an eavesdropping Yosak by the neck, gripping as viciously as he could the orange head's shoulder, both to impose his order to help him to the baths and to punish the spy for trying to abandon him.

"You eavesdrop and run Yosak? Tsk-tsk. You better be more responsible than that." He said in the best threatening voice he could give with the terrible searing pain he experienced at the same time.

"Hey! I'm not the one doing indecent things in the middle of the day…. Err- You're getting kinda scary y'know…" he meekly finished as unfriendly light blue energy started to gather around his pissed off friend.

"_Move_!" he ordered, the pain disabling his better speaking abilities.

'Damn! PMS much?'

* * *

><p>"Why did you come back now?" Gwendal complained, not really wanting to have an argument with his little brother right now.<p>

"I spoke with Yosak…" he began.

"And?" the dark lord growled, waiting for _the_ good reason why his cuddling time had been interrupted and had a now very pissed off fiancé on his hands.

"And then I talked to mother." He finished, avoiding his older sibling's eyes strangely.

Well.

Damn.

* * *

><p>AN: There, especially long chapter for especially long update time. I don't plan on dropping this fic (for those who asked) since it keeps bugging my imagination, maybe a bit too much. But right now it's like the "transition period". And I never wrote lemons before… it's quite hard stuff, especially given the situation: I didn't know how to make Yuuri agree to this, in the end he just got swept by the mood XD. I wasn't pleased with the beginning of this chapter (which I had finished a long time ago), but unable to make anything better without taking too many turns I stayed with this version. I made the last bit quite fast after this hard choice of versions, so I hope it's okay enough. I won't give up on writing more hotness! Give me some advice if you can.

Maid minute!

Doria: Yuuri… You're lord Von Voltaire's fiancé… but ever since you two got together, Sir Weller has been visiting quite a lot…

Lasagna: D-don't tell me…!

Sangria: (That sounds so interesting! *v*)

Yuuri: What do you mean?

Yosak: Tsk-tsk! Barely a taste of the mundane world and already having affairs with a knight. You know, even Cecille waited for her first husband to unfortunately pass away before getting her hand caught in the cookie jar.

Yuuri: W-WHAT? C-Conrad is- (Shit, I can't just say that he's the one making advances… Yet I like him, yet I refuse but I like Gwendal too…. ~ Why is this situation so complicated! I can't explain that! Damn you, cursed brothers!) Well… It's NOT LIKE THAT!

Doria: Hu-huh.

Sangria: *squeal* Sure!

Lasagna: *understanding smile*

Yosak: *rolling on the floor laughing his ass off in the corner*

Yuuri: Could it be that my every words are _doomed_ to remain ignored in this story?

Zel-chan: Dear Yuuri, if I listened to your opinion we'd never get this plot moving.

Yuuri: yes, we would!

Zel-chan: It'd take YEARS! And we'd never have gotten to the "sex" part!

Maids: Ohhhh! You didn't tell us that!

Yuuri: *sweatdrop* Er-

Yosak: No longer so innocent, huh? I knew my choice of reading material would help you.

Yuuri: I'm still not being heard…. I could say about anything and still be ignored… I'm sure of it…

That's how servants are treated Yuu-chan. Even if you get a better status, it's a condition that's stuck to your skin. A theory inspired from the way Antic Roman society worked at some point.


	15. The calm before the storm

**At your service**

**A.N.: **Thanks again for the reviewer that stayed with me even with all the waiting I made you go through! I hope there aren't too many mistakes in this one since I only reread it once and didn't verify the previous chapters... Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 15: The calm before the storm.<strong>

The camp was in turmoil. Just a few minutes ago Gisela turned into her dominatrix self, yelling sudden order to prepare her medical supplies. Her outburst, as sudden as it was unexpected, confused everyone, but also worried them greatly. The worry only grew when she refused to tell the reason behind her actions, and even refused entrance to the king's tent to anyone but her and Anissina.

The crisis passed, and then all they could do was wait impatiently next to the tent. Gwendal did his best at remaining calm, his eyebrows twitching and his hands making a permanent knitting pattern. Conrad on the other hand, hardly made any effort in staying calm, pacing back and forth he threw killing glares at anyone daring to stand in his way. Gunter was wailing… but no one really cared since it was his usual reaction to many things regarding the Maoh.

Finally, Gisela emerged just another bunch of eternally lasting minutes later. She looked both relieved and weary.

"What's going on?" Gwendal asked, his voice steady and deep, while his hands still tried to stop doing knitting patterns. All ears were turned towards the demon medic.

"Sorry, his majesty suddenly had a disturbance in his demonic energy… A lot of energy suddenly escaped him, I was too scared of the link between him and his soul breaking that I didn't take the time to explain… it seems he's calmed down now." She told them, staying vague about a few "other" details.

"How is he now? Why did this happen?" the brown clad soldier asked, his intent to jump into the tent to see his king very obvious.

"He's fine now… no change. It doesn't look like he used his powers to try and come back…" the green haired female stayed as enigmatic as she could; not wanting to have to deal with an hysteric Conrad… in addition to her father.

"What are you insinuating?" he finally screamed, too stressed to realize how his outbursts could scare his men.

"He had to use them against an enemy." Gwendal deadpanned, it was the only probable reason.

Gisela threw him a discreet, but seething glare, before nodding.

"You mean his majesty is prey to who knows what sort of horrible and dangerous beasts and we can do nothing to protect him!" Gunter wailed, and his daughter really wished she could knock him off consciousness right now: for adding a gallon of oil into the dangerous fire she had tried so hard to extinguish.

"Such exaggeration was uncalled for… Anyway, it seems like it's all good now…" she trailed off.

"Although it might have been better if it had lasted longer." Anissina piped from behind the medic.

"What?" the dark haired lord asked, frowning at the strangeness of his childhood friend's words.

"By using lots of energy, his majesty made the link between him and Hell's gate more present, if we had been able to react better, it might have allowed us to use this to help his return… If only it could happen again… we might have a chance at calling him back to us! Although the process would be extremely dangerous, it's our only choice at this point." Gisela explained, announcing with it, a whole new sort of trepidation, full of hope, mixed with an ever present fear.

An all or nothing bet, were their king could very well come back all good, or be completely lost in the process; something that didn't really please the Maoh's overprotective guardians.

* * *

><p><strong>Back to Yuuri :<strong>

Yuuri slowly let himself sink into the soothing hot and perfumed water of the bath. The very same where he had shared his first kiss… with Conrad. Only now he was trying to wash off and relax himself from recent… events.

He quickly ducked completely under water as the thoughts of his recent sexual exploits with the dark lord. Now that he thought back on this… he was so embarrassed. Who would have thought he'd end like that with _Gwendal_ of all people. He remembered the first time he met the man: he had looked down on him with something like disdain, as he had just fallen off his horse. Well, it hadn't been the best of starts for him, a stranger coming to take the throne, to make friends with an uptight nobleman, while he was rubbing his sore ass on the ground.

He remembered how he had thought that he'd never get used to the dark, ominous male. His frown used to scare him. He lived in fear of being reprimanded by the always angry looking man.

And then…

And then he had discovered his comic fear of his childhood friend. His deep brotherly love, his fondness for both his brothers, which also came with a terrible awkwardness at showing his care. Then there were his worries about the country. His love for cute things… He discovered most of those things when they had traveled into the desert. They were even confused for elopers at that time… Well, so much had happened then, before then and after then… He was really a magnet for trouble…

But to think that he'd go further with the dark lord than he did with his real fiancé. Wolfram and he were fiancés for more than six years now… yet he had never felt any sort of attraction towards the blond, well, maybe that was a lie: he did find him pretty… but he was sure that he would have never let himself get swept by the mood like he did with his older brothers…

Just thinking about it in those terms… he really felt terrible.

And if Wolfram, _his_ Wolfram ever knew or heard of this… oh boy, would he suffer! If only he knew…. If he ever got to see him again… to apologize… to explain… to-

The double black's eyes widened as he realized he was crying. Hot tears reddening his eyes and rolling over his cheeks to end up mixing in the bath water. He tried to wipe them off, but new ones would immediately replace them.

"Damn it!" he cried. "Damn it all!" he was so angry, at himself, at the world, at this useless Shinou, at his lack of thoughts.

"Let me go back! DAMN IT!" he yelled into the empty air.

He was homesick, definitely. He wanted _his _serious Gwendal, _his_ smiling, calm and overprotecting Conrad, _his_ jealous Wolfram, _his_ repenting Huber, _his_ hysteric Gunter, _his_ free love searching Cecile… He wanted his _normal_ life back, where Yosak was actually useful and where he could smile at everyone in his country and they'd smile back, thankful for his politics as he avoided wars at all costs.

Every time he stopped to think about all this, the realization of his actual situation made him suffer terribly.

"If I ever get back… I swear Murata! I'm never going to listen to a single request from you, ever again! You can rot in Hell for all I care!" he threatened the troubled water, knowing even as he said it that he'd never be able to refuse a request from his best friend.

"Who's Murata?" a voice asked from behind the depressed youth.

Yuuri immediately wiped his head back to look at the person interrupting his pity party. A naked and worried looking Conrad stared right back at him.

He didn't have time to complain about the knight's bad habit of going into the baths when he was there too. Because said knight decided that he needed a good hugging session to ease his crying. The double black tried to weakly push him away, not in the mood for extreme shows of affection from the wild Rutenberg lion.

"Shh… I won't do anything. Not when you're in that state: depression doesn't look like it belongs with you. I'd much rather be allowed to kiss you when you're I a good mood." He said, trying to have his charge relax.

"Aren't you hopeful…" Yuuri stated back, but still relaxing against the strong frame of the soldier.

"Of course! I'll always hope for your love… like you love my brother… Anyway, you didn't answer my question." He stated, his tone light, but Yuuri could still feel a bit of an annoyed tinge to it.

He remained confused for a moment, before finally remembering the first question. And he almost chocked at the realization.

"Pffft" he shook, unwanted laughter making his body shake as he tried to repress it.

"What?" the knight asked, annoyed by the fact that he wasn't taken seriously, yet happy that he managed to make the young man laugh, even if he ignored what he did.

"Don't tell me you're jealous! Of Murata! Ahah! Of all the completely ridiculous things!" the double black laughed out loud, though his sore bottom didn't agree with all this shaking.

"What? You just spoke of some unknown man while crying all by yourself! And after you did _that_ with _him_! What am I supposed to think?" The older man pouted, yes _pouted_, and Yuuri believed he was going to die of laughing at the sight.

Conrad. The perfect knight. Poker faced ever perfect man, model to all soldiers…_ pouting_ out of jealousy. Now that was too much!

"Hehehe! Haha! P-please stop this face! I'm gonna die! Owowow!" he ended up crying over his backside, but he was no longer depressed.

"I would have never guessed you could be so… rude." Conrad stated, not seriously vexed.

"Why did you come here anyway, then?" Yuuri asked doubting the older male's reasons.

"To… take a bath?" he tried.

"Try again. Why _now_." The double black added, narrowing his eyes.

"Well… Ok, I wanted to talk about something…" he conceded.

"Something I'm not gonna like, right?" Yuuri sighed, somehow sure of that.

"I'd feel awfully hurt if that was the case…. err-Anyway, I spoke with mother." He began.

"Huh? Cherry? And?" the youth asked, feeling unsure as he didn't really get the first part of what his knight had said.

"Well… About the fact that my feelings for you were the same than those my brother harbored… also for you… And that we agreed to err- accommodate to this situation…" he explained.

"You told her WHAT?" Yuuri cried, he couldn't believe the soldier would have truly gone through with this nonsense.

"She gave us her best wishes…" he finished, unable to repress the sweatdrop as he remembered the both dreamy and perverted smile his ever loving mother had given him.

"She WHAT?" the double black screeched, now he felt like hanging himself all over again… he just had to wait for the next time he met with the maids to know he should have jumped off a cliff right this instant.

When Yuuri finally got around the facts and got back into his shared bedroom, accompanied by a smug looking Conrad, he was a sight that set off a few alarms into Gwendal's mind.

"I see he told you as well…" the dark lord stated.

'I can't even have a minute of solitude to think about things in this place… Well, not that I had anymore back home… But then again, when Conrad was at my side he wasn't bringing me any trouble, so having him with me wasn't a problem…' Yuuri thought bitterly.

Outwardly the double black only sighed before nodding.

"All that's left to do is find the proper arrangements, since I'm now, also your fiancé. I hope you don't mind me not asking the traditional way, but I lack the noble status, so it wouldn't mean much." Conrad stated with a smile.

"I assure you that I don't mind…" Yuuri answered, glad that he didn't have to be slapped by Conrad… 'Though I wouldn't mind giving you a double serving for all the trouble you're making me go through.' He internally mused, though he doubted his ability to actually hit Conrad's "Oh so perfect face"…

"There's no arrangement to make, Yuuri is still _my_ fiancé, and he's _not _ going to sleep in your quarters." Gwendal immediately panned, letting the last word roll distastefully off his tongue.

"Then I'll be staying here!" Conrad answered back, he wasn't about to let things as they were.

"Tch! No. There's no room for you in the first place!" he argued back.

'I'm pretty sure there's enough place with that enormous bed, but I'm not going to say that out loud…' Yuuri mused, before realizing that he was, _again_, completely ignored anyway. "…Well, if anyone is interested in little ol' me: I'll be eating in the kitchen. But I suppose that I haven't got _any_ reason to be included in this conversation, so I'll just take my leave." The double black announced as he left, definitely _not_ pleased with the two brothers.

Well, he knew what it was being brothers: you tended to always end up in your own little world where only family existed and forgot that other people were included, even he did that from time to time with Shori, but it didn't mean that he couldn't be pissed off by the two's attitude.

Noon had passed and he was _hungry_. In a way, he couldn't believe that he just had sex for the first time a couple of hours ago… But it wasn't like he had the time to be cuddling. Besides, as a man, he shouldn't be so disappointed by that fact.

In truth, he really wished Conrad had waited a few hours to butt in… Then again, Gwendal was a busy man, and he might not have taken the time to cuddle with him. He was already clothed when he reentered the bedroom earlier, probably just taking the time to sponge himself down and nothing more.

Argh! What was he _thinking_! Men didn't _cuddle_! They didn't ask for comfort after intercourse! Even if it was their first time…. It was a man thing: to act like this was absolutely nothing and walk off…

"I want a hug." He unconsciously said that out loud, ashamed at his childishness.

"Aww! I'll give you one then!" Yosak's voice suddenly came from behind him, along with a pair of arms that stayed there for about two seconds, before Yuuri's natural reaction (induced by a lot of training by his mother) had him head butt the redhead and immediately kick him in his family jewels while confusion was still active.

"Yosak!" he realized a second too late, as the failed spy fell to the ground with a pained "_why_?".

"OwowOW! Yo kid! Nice to see you too~ your ass all better now?" he asked playfully, even as he kept to the ground, clutching his manly remains.

"Are you sure you want to ask that while your face is still in kicking range?" the double black panned back, now that he was reminded of it, yes, his backside still hurt a bit, but he had a good recovery rate, so he'd be as new in a bit.

The redhead immediately righted himself back up, taking a few steps back in fear of a reiteration of the previous violent actions.

"Mind if I accompany you at least? I promise not to jump you: I guess you have enough people doing just that…" the spy offered.

"Sure. And I'm sorry for that, it was an automatism. Not that I'm used to this kind of attacks (although I'm not including Gunter attacks), but my mother used me enough times for her anti-stalker techniques for me to react that way when I'm surprised." He explained.

"Your mother sound like she was as crazy as our dear queen…" Yosak mused.

"Oh, you can't even imagine!" he replied enigmatically. 'And if she knew of this whole situation… she'd probably squeal fangirlishly… Ok, now I have a good idea of Cherry's reaction to Conrad's announcement…' he silently added.

"Anyway… How do you feel about the captain?" the redheaded spy asked as he fell in steps with the double black.

"How do I feel? Well, I'd prefer it if he didn't complicate things so damn much!" the youth stated.

"Ahah! That's for sure! But I mean: do you like him? I mean, you obviously accepted lord Von Voltaire, but even I didn't expect him to be so hung over you!" he stated, then after a pause he added "He's my friend, and as sympatric and nice as you may be, I won't forgive you if you hurt him."

Yuuri stopped walking then, letting Yosak take a few steps ahead.

'Then you'll hate me anyway. Because I hope for things that'll make me hated in this world, so I can go back to mine…' this made Yuuri think about how the people in his original dimension could be feeling right now… It was _them_ that he didn't want to leave. Of course, he didn't want anyone here to be pained either… But he still let the events carry him. At the beginning he had believed that as long as Julia had a chance to survive the war, Conrad would be happy. And so long as Conrad had Julia, Gwendal wouldn't be as weary, and maybe, just maybe, things would still be alright. Wars could always end. Maybe Huber would still have a chance at changing himself by discovering how humans weren't so different from demons… So many maybes, but he had never planned on being so involved with anyone here.

"How did this all happen? I just had to open my big mouth, didn't I? Me, who wanted to keep a low profile, had to end up in the spotlight all over again… Sorry Yosak, I can't promise that you won't end up hating my guts." He finally answered.

The failed spy who had observed the many expressions pass by the young man's face, all of them sad and pained, didn't find it in him to accuse the youth for his answer. Like something told him that things were much too complex for him to just believe it'd be enough for the double black to love his friend back. Well, he knew that it wasn't as simple anyway.

"Well… At least try not to make the heart break too hard on him. He's very fragile you know: he's just a little kid who didn't have anytime to enjoy being such. He's childish, much more than he allows anyone to see. He's the kind of man that lives only for the one person he loves, be it his little brother, Julia, or you." The redhead explained, trying to let the younger male digest his words.

And with that, they resumed their walk to the kitchen.

* * *

><p>"H-Huber! You're back up already?" Stoffel stated to the terribly angry looking man.<p>

"Hmph! The wounds are less than superfluous! But that's beside the point. I have things to say." He stated, looking at the Maoh directly in the eyes, something that was as rude as it was disrespecting royalty.

"What do you want now, Grisela Geigen Huber?" Cecile asked, her voice sure and strong, determined not to be impressed by the man who had obviously pushed her little babies in a bad situation, though she wasn't allowed to act on that.

"I came to inform her majesty of a grave matter."

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.:<strong> New chap! Yeah! I'm trying to put a little more of Conrad in the story! Some people said that Conrad wasn't on equal terms with Gwendal. That's mainly because that when I started this fic, I had first intended it to be Gwendal x Yuuri, and wrote a few chapters. But then, I started reading a lot of fics starring Conrad x Yuuri, and I started seeing them together everywhere until it became strange not to include his love for Yuuri. But of course, even if I modified the chapters, Conrad had to stay a bit on the side. Plus his young self was a delinquent with about as much temperament than Wolfram before he met Yuuri, and since it's this very temperament that Yuuri has a hard time dealing with, it can't be easy for him to like this Conrad as much as he'd do the one he knows.

He'll get much more love later on though. ;)

Anyway, COMMENT!

**Oh, and time for a combo break** (playing too much Shadow Hearts, aside from that, I highly recommend Ao no Exorcist to all of you Demon lovers! (and there's lots of material for Yaois in this anime))**!**

**Shamploo:** AHAH! We were waiting for you!

**Yuuri:** Huh? What's this? *stares at strange new panel*

**Yosak:** Word goes around fast… but really, that's _too_ fast!

**Sangria:** It's the new and improved batting pool!

**Yuuri:** Why? There's only numbers…. *confused*

**Lasagna: **W-well, the right column is for l-lord von Voltaire… and the left one for sir Weller… *blush*

**Doria:** They're notations!

**Yuuri:** ?

**Lasagna:** Come on~! All you have to do is tell us how many points you give each of them!

**Yuuri:** ! WHAT! Don't tell ma you really expected me to give a grade on their…performances…

**Yosak:** I think they did. Well, you can at least give us an idea on how much you gave our dear lord~!

**Yuuri:** YOU! You actually made a bet?

**Shamploo:** Lord von Voltaire's numbers really go from the lowest to the highest scores depending on who made their bet.

**Yuuri:** Just HOW MANY people are on this thing?

**Sangria:** For now we're only betting between lord von Voltaire and lord Weller…

**Yuuri:** FOR NOW?

**Yosak:** I don't think that was the question…

**Doria:** Well… There's the guys from both their personal squads, then us: the staff, then a few other soldiers, I think Cherry also posted a bet (a double 200/100)… Oh! The pool also went through a few citizens! We thought it would give them something fun to think about!

**Yuuri:** *faint*

**Shamploo:** Hey! At least give us an idea of the number before losing consciousness! Like, below or above 50%, or something!

**Yosak:** You're all terrible!

**Doria: **…

**Sangria:** …

**Lasagna:** …

**Shamploo: **…

**Yosak: **…I'll add 10 points to my bet on the general.


	16. War preparations

**At your service**

**A.N.: **Thanks again for the reviewer that stayed with me even with all the waiting I made you go through!

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 16: War preparations<strong>

The rest of the day had passed without much of anything major happening. Thankfully, Yuuri's fiancés were kind enough not to force anything more onto him (he had to use a bit of his acting skills to make it look like he still hurt though).

But he should have realized that things couldn't just calm down so easily…

That morning, he woke with the dawn, Gwendal's arms securing him close to his strong body. The feeling wasn't bad. The strong arms and the heat of another's body felt comforting.

But he wasn't the type to stay in bed for too long, and it didn't take long before he started to feel bored of staying there. As fascinating as his lover's face may be, staying in bed for too long always gave him a headache.

He only felt bad because he knew that Gwendal's military training would have him awake and alert the second he tried to untangle himself from the muscled limbs. Although, it was a bit hard to imagine… as the dark lord kept holding him like he was a giant plushy, wearing a surprisingly cute smile on his face.

He prepared for the inevitable, when suddenly his brain registered the steady rising of voices from the window. It was right above the castle's grounds, often used by the soldiers for morning training, so it wasn't the _noise_ that was surprising; it was the _kind_ of noises: like one big gathering of angry people, some were yelling what he clearly understood as insults.

"What the hell's going on now!" the double black whined, sure that he was doomed to be involved in whatever mess had come forth.

At the sound of his voice, his fiancé stirred. He woke fast, as his training had taught him. He glanced around for any possible incoming dangers, trying to determine what had stirred him from a pleasant dream that had involved a giant plush cat, bearbees and Yuuri wearing cat hears and a tail… (ok, maybe not all that in the same dream…).

He looked at his black haired lover, noticing to his uttermost disappointment that he was awake before him (he wanted to see his sleeping face). Yet he soon became also aware of the commotion he could hear through the windows and sighed as he realized that he needed to get there and bring back some calm.

"I'll have to go, you can just stay here if you want." He told his young lover, half hoping that he would wait for him to come back… and maybe then he could- no! He had work! Damn…

"Nah. I wanted to get up anyway. I wonder if I could do some morning exercise before washing. Though… it doesn't look like it's the right time…" Yuuri answered, worried about the rising aggressiveness that came from the castle's grounds.

"You should keep away from _that_. I don't need you to end up in more trouble than you already have." Gwendal immediately retorted, making the double black sweat drop with the reality of this statement.

* * *

><p>After taking a bath, Yuuri naturally directed himself to the kitchen to grab something to eat, resisting the urge to take a peak at the troubles brewing outside of the castle. The halls were strangely empty of life, but the castle was big, so he didn't think too much of it. Normally he should be going for breakfast outside along with his fiancé and the Maoh's suite, but he guessed that their plan might have been postponed due to the commotion outside.<p>

Besides, he didn't want to reiterate last evening's dinner with the Maoh giving him her mysteriously embarrassing glances. Add to that an even _more_ pissed off Wolfram, a swooning Gunter (that of course triggered jealous and angry fiancés), not to forget whispering maids, and you had the whole reason why Yuuri didn't want to try going there again.

But as soon as he stepped into the kitchen, he was happed inside. Not a nice feeling as he could only remember the number of time that meant an "almost kidnapping" or, on a lesser level, an angry fiancé "talk".

"What now!" he cried as trouble still caught him no matter his carefulness.

"Shh! Be quiet!" Doria's voice whispered harshly, as if there were invisible people roaming these empty halls…

He complied once he realized it was just the maids, Shamploo and Dorcas that had "kidnapped" him. Once the door was "securely" closed, he faced the worried faces of the maids.

"What's going on? First this commotion outside; and now you're all acting strange!" he asked the solemn audience.

At that the maids turned to Shamploo, which he guessed was the day's informant.

"Last night, Huber went to her majesty. It seems that he cooked up evidence of spies infiltrating our cake (kingdom)…" he trailed off as Yuuri blanched: no more needed to be said.

"And he pointed his finger at half-demons…" he knew, he knew he had only managed a small wait, before the inevitable. The maids nodded.

"The whole agitation this morning was because of this: the Maoh couldn't find a good reason to refute the accusations so… it all went awry, and a few people who got the information got all riled up! This morning they were gathering at the gate, asking that the traitors should be punished. Some started saying that the halfs were a disgrace that should be sent to death instead of their children-…" Dorcas started, but was soon stopped by a sharp blow from Lasagna as Yuuri's expression darkened.

They probably guessed he was saddened simply because he was a half too. In truth, Yuuri was pained and angered by the fact that _his _people would end up thinking in this way. He couldn't believe it was the same people he ruled. People who couldn't see that saying that all half-breeds were traitors, without distinction, was as stupid as saying that all demons were murderers, thieves and child abusers all because such crimes had been done by a few demon criminals, it was terrible!

Yet, he couldn't find it in himself to hate them. Maybe in his own dimension he could be pissed off at all that, but now, people were weary of the war. Humans killed their sons, fathers, brothers, husbands, plundered their lands, killed relatives that were unlucky enough to be in their path. Of course they were angry, sad, and they just wanted someone to carry the blame. As a father, he knew that he wouldn't be able, no matter how pacific he may be, to forgive someone that would hurt his precious daughter in anyway. To the people in Shin Makoku, the ones at fault were humans. It was only the soldiers who themselves answered to a greater power, but it's not like they could be content with just that… unfortunately. Especially since, the power in place needed to feed this hatred, to keep this war going…

Still, he couldn't comprehend how they could so easily turn against people that had protected them dutifully for many years… This went too far.

"That's right! Conrad! I need to see him!" he suddenly realized, the knight was probably out there too, hurting along his men at being accused of such felony.

"Wait! You shouldn't get involved into this foul recipe!" Shamploo called after him, but the double black was already out of the kitchen.

"I didn't even have time to say what I had to say…" Dorcas whined.

* * *

><p>Outside, the people were kept at bay by the castle's gates, but the ominous accusations were not stopped by mere wooden planks. Yuuri tried to keep the angered voices tuned down in his brain, giving it his all to find his shinning knight. Luckily enough, the bright blue uniform he wore, showing his military position, along his tall stature, made him an easy target in the middle of the gathering soldiers.<p>

"Conrad!" he called once he got near the brown haired male.

He was a bit startled by the hateful expression the perfect man wore, not one he was used to. Fortunately, the expert swordsman schooled his features before facing him completely.

"Yuuri. You shouldn't be out there." He calmly answered his voice emotionless.

"Neither should you be standing there! What do you think you're doing?" the double black yelled, pointing in the general direction of the half-breed soldiers part of Conrad's squad. He knew what he was preparing for.

"It's our honor on the line! We need to prove our devotion… so that our weaker brethrens won't suffer the same sort of accusations." The knight said, turning back to face his troops.

"Why? No one here did anything wrong!" Yuuri yelled, silencing the observing demon soldiers that contented themselves in watching the show.

There was a long pregnant pause, where Conrad looked critically at his men who accepted the glare without flinching, as though doing so would point them out as criminals.

"Yosak!" the brown haired captain called, apparently incapable of telling the terrible facts himself.

"Yes, sir!" he started in an unusually soldier like tone. "Solid proof was given to her majesty! Proof that some of our closest men, whom we trusted as comrades that were ready to give their life on duty, gave crucial information to the enemy! By doing such, they endangered many lives and our kingdom." He explained, standing straight and unwavering, although Yuuri could feel how much this pained him.

"They were your men…" the double black painfully let out. He knew how Conrad valued his men, how he treated them like friends and trusted them… If this was all true, it was easy to realize how much these "proofs" had hurt him.

"Their crimes cannot be forgiven! But neither can we! For us, closest to them, should have noticed their unforgivable deeds! Yet, I still have faith! Faith that we are not the same as those traitors whose reputation threw our names in dirt! I volunteered to go to the place that was most touched by our former comrades' deeds: Rozenburg (don't remember the correct orthograph)! A town, first in line in face to the enemy's army! I won't force you to follow me! May all volunteers, ready to follow me on this mission step forward!" the half-breed captain yelled. Yuuri wished he could have stopped this in the middle, but he remembered that time meeting Julia… it wasn't a fight he could stop with words.

There wasn't even half a second time before the whole squad took a unanimous step forward, ready to follow their captain on this mission they knew to be suicidal. Among them were soldiers that were visibly wounded, probably men that had just returned from an already tough battle. But even those missing an eye or an arm, even those whose wounds still bled through heavy bandages, even those who were probably already unable to carry a weapon, all stepped forward.

"Conrad…" the double black whispered, not knowing what he could do anymore, it pained him that, even if all was possible in this dimension, it was still very likely that all the men he saw in front of him were going to die…

"Let's all prepare! We depart tomorrow! The journey will be long, be ready for it." He finished, letting his men dispatch to prepare their things.

Finally, when all the men, minus Yosak who stayed nearby, Conrad turned back to his fiancé.

"I'm sorry… You must think that I'm a terrible lover, for abandoning you right after making that entire scene to get you…" the knight smiled weakly.

"I'm a half too you know…" the double black muttered, wanting to say that he should have been involved. Obviously, Conrad didn't take that comment well.

"YUURI! I won't allow you to get involved in the war!" he cried at the implications.

At that, Gwendal caught up with them, as the noise they were making had probably alerted him. He placed a strong hand on his fiancé's slender shoulder, showing that he didn't wish for him to get further involved into this conflict either.

"I'm _not_ your "_precious_ little _thing"_! How can I just accept that you're going to risk your life so recklessly! I know how to use demonic spells! At least I could help heal the wounds…" Yuuri argued, shaking off his noble fiancé's hand, the simple thought of Conrad dying, no matter where in time or place it was, remained unconceivable for Yuuri. His Conrad had survived, but who knew what might happen to the Conrad in this dimension!

"I won't allow it!" Gwendal's voice rumbled from behind him, firmly, as his grasp on the frail shoulder came back and tightened.

"The battlefield isn't something for you, young master." Yosak added, while Conrad simply looked saddened.

There was a long moment during which they looked at one another, trying to find the breech that could definitely end this conversation. It was, to the majority's uttermost sadness, given by an upcoming Huber.

"If you don't want him, then I'll have him enter lady von Wincott's healing squad." He stated, keeping his distance from the err-dangerous looking group.

"WHAT?" the three older males exclaimed in perfect synchronization.

"Unless, you'd prefer entering mine. Since the healing squad is reserved for women anyway." He taunted at the confused looking double black.

"HUBER! Such decision is NOT for you to take!" his cousin raged.

"Of course not!" he stated lightly, before continuing, "It's a decision that should normally be taken by any responsible citizen of Shin Makoku, wishing for the safety of their families… But it's in the present case; it's a measure the Maoh herself had to take: any man in age and condition to enter the battlefield, no matter their personal dispositions, shall take arms and enter a squad that can use their abilities. So you should choose your own soon. By the way, my squad will depart tomorrow to the frontier town, so I suppose my men will have to accommodate themselves with the presence of a few filthy traitors… At least we can make sure you're not just all planning to run away!" Huber explained.

Frontier town was close to Rutemberg, so it was the expected destination for Conrad's men as well… But the prospect didn't seem to brighten anyone's mood.

"Lady Julia's squad will also leave tomorrow…." Yosak muttered.

Once he was about sure the information had sunk, Huber made his escape, knowing that staying there was a bad idea.

"I have to speak with mother." The dark demon lord stated as he left suddenly.

"It's not like the Maoh can make exceptions… not when she couldn't even defend her own son… You're so stupid Gwendal." Yuuri stated at the departing back, who obviously took a great care in ignoring his words.

"Yuuri…" the brown eyed soldier began, his eyes told of the worries burdening him at the moment.

"A day isn't a lot of time… I guess I should go to speak with her majesty too…" he stated, it was what he wanted, in a way, yet not.

"I won't take you on mine though. Just so you know that." Conrad stated firmly.

"And here I thought you accepted _all_ volunteers." His fiancé stated.

"It's not the same… I'll do my best to return, so please, don't expose yourself to danger… You should get in Gwendal's squad: he's our best strategist, his squad won't be on the battlefield directly…" the knight suggested.

"I'll decide of that by myself, thanks." Yuuri retorted, angered at how Conrad tried to selfishly protect him, even as he left on a suicide mission.

"Yuuri!" the captain called, grasping his fiancé's arm, as the younger male chose to see Cherry as soon as she could allow him an audience "Let me…" he swallowed "I'll see you tonight…" he trailed off in a whisper as his redhead friend was already (not very) stealthily trying to hear him. And with that, he left a very red faced double black run away from his embarrassing self.

"Huh-uh… Your pick up lines still suck big time, cap'tain…" Yosak joked, earning himself a harsh jab in his side.

* * *

><p>Cecile accepted to hear her future groom if he came back at lunch time, leaving the youth a few hours to prepare for what awaited him. He decided to go back to see the maids, since they were probably worried about the day's happening. And he still had to eat breakfast.<p>

He entered the kitchen again, to a depressed scene that told him he didn't need to say too much. Shamploo looked calm enough, preparing the plates for today's lunch, but the three maids looked as though they were told it was the last day of their lives.

"What happened?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, Yuuri! They said that all men will be asked to join the war effort! It's terrible!" Sangria cried, tears threatening to fall.

"Yeah, I heard that." He stated, wondering what the whole thing was about, since they weren't concerned directly.

"Heh! The women are too sensible! Personally, I chose that Adelbert guy's squad! I heard they had some of the best chiefs there! But the captain looks like he'd need some seasoning…" Shamploo stated.

"Heh? Even you? I thought Cherry didn't want to-" Yuuri began, wondering how the extravagant cook could possibly fit in Adelbert's squad, but he was interrupted by the blond man's hand which gestured for him to stop.

"No exception means: No. Exception." The cook stated.

"I see… I wonder in which one I should go…" the double black pondered, making the maids gape at him.

"No way, Yuuri! You're almost royalty now! You can't be going to the battlefield! You may know a bit how to use demon powers, but war is something else entirely!" Sangria immediately reacted.

"Royalty, as the main course in the kingdom, usually goes to the pan first." Shamploo stated.

"Right." The double black agreed, he should have guessed he'd be asked that sooner or later anyway. But since he was used to being the Maoh, being ready for battle in case of emergency didn't include him being part of a squad…

"This is so unfair! When I think that Lord Grisela Geigen Huber's squad is going to take it easy! All they'll do is keep the defenses of frontier town! They aren't even going to fight in this war!" Doria stated.

"Huber's-… I wonder…" Yuuri mumbled, a foolish idea forming in his head. "Ah! I've got it! Thanks Doria!" The double black suddenly exclaimed and left.

"What… did I say…?"

* * *

><p>Lunch time came by quickly. And Yuuri entered the room with a bit of apprehension. An apprehension that only strengthened when he spotted his dark grey haired fiancé already sitting and an empty chair by his side… He already knew where he was supposed to sit… though he doubted the validity of his other table neighbor… which was an excited looking Gunter.<p>

As it looked, it'd be just them eating lunch today.

"Your majesty." He formally greeted Cecille who sat opposite to her first son.

The Maoh smiled back at him, but the tired look in her eyes told volumes of the strain she went through. She was so tired she looked like an old lady, a scary image to behold of the ever happy and beautiful woman in search for love.

"Have you decided on where you wanted to be dispatched?" she asked, though her eyes were directed at her tensing son more than on him.

"I have…" he started, sitting down and warily eyeing Gwendal, afraid of his reaction.

"I see… Mind if we keep this for the dessert? I'd rather have an untroubled meal." She softly asked, still eyeing her son, and now that he sat next to him, Yuuri could understand why: he was so crisp and tensed he looked like a piece of rubber about to bounce out of his chair…

"Mother!" he stated, obviously impatient, "I don't think you have time for leisure, and neither do we!" then he turned to Yuuri "I'll also leave tomorrow, apparently, to the von Christ estate along with lord von Christ: its position near the border as recently proven to be a delicate matter, humans started gathering a few armies close by." He explained.

"Yes, I know of that… But the land there isn't the best if they want to make their advance, I doubt they'll insist if they see our forces prepared on the other side." The Maoh acknowledged. "I guess many squads will be leaving tomorrow… only Wolfram which is too inexperienced yet will be staying in the castle… Yuuri, I sure you'd wish to stay close to your loved ones but…. I wouldn't judge you if you chose to keep secure here." She began, but the double black decided that if he wanted them to stop arguing about his decision, he'd better make it clear right now.

"I'll be leaving with lord Grisela Geigen Huber's squad." He panned, causing a few immediate reactions.

Gwendal finally broke, standing up so suddenly his chair fell to the ground, he slapped his hand on the table, making it shake, and maybe he was hoping his outburst would be imposing a form of superiority like that, because he looked ready to hit anyone disobeying him. Gunter, who had been remarkably calm and collected, as he sipped on his glass was so shocked his drink obviously went down the wrong pipe and he coughed a few times. Finally, Cherry just looked dumfounded and a bit afraid for what scene her sons would cause because of that.

"WHAT? I WON'T allow this! Just what are you thinking? Going with him! Have you lost your head?" the dark lord raged.

"I took my decision! And you have no right to forbid me this! Only Huber has the right to say whether or not he agrees to my presence among his squad or not!" Yuuri stated firmly.

"Yuuri!" his fiancé shook, trying to repress the mix of strong feelings he was experiencing.

"I'm sorry your majesty. It looks like this matter was dealt with sooner than you wished… But my decision will remain unchanged." He apologized.

"It's fine… What- What if Huber refuses?" she dared to ask afraid she already knew the answer.

"Then I'm also volunteering to join Sir Weller's forces…" he stated, the fact that Conrad had asked for any volunteers meant he really couldn't refuse him if he wanted to be part of his squad.

Gwendal was about to say more, to try to convince his fiancé to go for another, less dangerous squad, but Gunter suddenly interrupted him.

"Lord von Voltaire. Let a man make his choice. Like you did, and like your brothers did. Sir Weller decided to fight a dangerous battle, counting only on volunteers, it's his choice. You agreed to help defend the von Christ territory, and it was your choice. I doubt either of you have a right to go against this young man's decision." The white haired swordsman stated.

At that, the earth oriented demon could find nothing to say. All he could do was let out a pained sigh and sit back down (after a maid had gotten his chair back up), looking for the world to see like he had just been stabbed to death. He trembled with repressed anger and pain, his fists closed so tightly the joints went white and Yuuri was afraid he'd end up drawing blood.

"I'll put your name on the list then…" Cherry ended the argument.

**A.N.:** New chapter, finished!

What happened during the last dinner you ask? **BREAK TIME!**

**Yuuri:** *Bows* Good evening your majesty. *sits down*

**Cherry:** *smiles* Good evening~!

**Gwendal:** …

**Conrad:** ….

**Yuuri:** (What's with this atmosphere… it's not really tense but-)

**Cherry:** So… Yuu-chan! I want to know your secret~!

**Yuuri:** Secret?

**Cherry:** Of course! Even I never managed to get two brothers in my bed at the same time, and Shinou knows how hard I tried!

**Yuuri:** *Chokes* *Splutter* W-w-w-w-what? I-I…

**Gwendal:** *twitches* Mother! No one here needed to know of your… experiments…

**Conrad:** *blushes lightly*

**Cherry:** Awww! Come on~! What's the problem? I always wondered how it felt to be taken from both sides! *squeal*

**Yuuri:** *faints*

**Gwendal/Conrad:** MOTHER!

**Gwendal:** Ahem! This kind of thing did not-! Wait! As our mother you should feel ashamed!

**Conrad:** *nods* With all due respect your majesty… prying into your _own sons_ sexual life isn't what could be called **respectable behavior**…

**Cherry:** Mmmh? So you didn't try it yet… *disappointed* But you _do_ plan on doing it, right? *hopeful sparkling eyes*

**Gwendal/Conrad:** *blush*

**Conrad:** Well… *whispering* If it's what Yuuri wants… maybe…

**Gwendal:** Hmph! *looks at Yuuri*

**Yuuri:** (Someone, please let me disappear now!) I-I! THERE'S NO WAY THAT'S WHAT I WANT! *runs away*

**Cherry:** Hehe~! Hidden desires are so cute~! *Cheshire grin*

**Gwendal/Conrad:** (So he wants it?)

…

**Yosak:** Young master… You should stop sleeping under the beds y'know. It's bad for your spine…

**Yuuri:** I'm afraid I care more for the other parts of my body that might be damaged if I sleep _on_ a bed…

**Yosak**: …ok, but why are you in _my_ room?

**Yuuri:** Improved safety. *deadpan*


	17. Last Moments

**At your service**

**A.N.: **Thanks for those who left reviews. Of course I'm also happy to know that many found this story interesting enough to put in their favorites or ask for alerts, but I'd be even happier if they could leave a few reviews.

By the way, to the reviewer who pointed out how I said Yuuri was a "teen", after checking over (ctrl+F is so very practical), I was surprised to see that, indeed, this terrible mistake escaped my vigilance, I'm terribly sorry for that. Luckily, it seems there weren't other such mistakes in the other chapters… Well, since I'm always searching for ways to avoid repeating the same definition or name for one person, it seems like I ended up making this mistake. Thank you very much for pointing this out!

Also know that I'm aiming for improvement as much as I hope that my stories give some enjoyment to my readers ^^! And I'm glad to know that you didn't find my first try at sex scene to be too bad! How about a second try, now?

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 17: Last moments<strong>

**Back at camp** (feels like it has been a while…)**:**

"How is he?" Conrad asked anxiously.

He'd rather ask the medics than judge for himself, because right now his king looked no better than dead… but in a sense, he, himself, didn't look much better, something the medical staff, and even his men, kept reminding him.

"No changes for now… It's like his body is frozen in time. He's so unchanging it's a wonder why his heart is even bothering to keep workin-! Ah… I mean… Err- Right now there's nothing to worry about excessively… it's just scientific observation and I just meant to say that as long as the demonic energy links his soul to his body, his physical form doesn't really need to be-…" Gisela trailed off, not really knowing how to explain things in a way that wouldn't have the pale knight getting even sicker over their monarch's condition.

The brown haired male frowned some, but accepted the green haired medic's explanation. So long as Yuuri was "technically" alive and had a chance at coming back, he could hold on. Especially since, that meant he was allowed into the tent and watch over his most precious person.

And so he went to the well guarded tent, entering after a brief acknowledgement of the two guards. Inside he, unsurprisingly, found his older brother still posted next to the bed, still knitting, and still ready to reprimand him.

"You should have some rest." The noble simply said the moment he identified the assured steps of his younger sibling.

"You can talk." Conrad retorted immediately, he knew his brother hardly slept, at least, hardly more than himself.

"Weller. Appearing before your men in this condition is hardly encouraging for them… What will _he_ think of you, if he ever hears of your condition while he was down? He won't be happy to know that you neglected your well being all because of your extreme worry…" Gwendal pointed out, choosing his words carefully, he didn't want to put the king's future situation in a conditional perspective.

"I'll be happy _if_ he comes back… And aren't you also concerned by those words?" the knight pointed out, to which the older male shook his head.

"What _if_," and he insisted on the spiteful word, "too shocked by your affections, knowing that you'd go as far as killing yourself because of something that was _not_ your fault, he decided that you should be kept away from his being? How would you end up if the king decided that you shouldn't stand at his side anymore… All because he'll be scared that you might do something overly stupid for him- I mean -stupider than what _he_ can think of…" the general stared hard at his brother, letting his words imprint deep into his self-sacrificing knightly brain.

"I'm still more scarred for his immediate safety… And if he truly knew of my affections, his majesty would probably realize that I'd die without his presence… Such decision would therefore be counterproductive. And what about you?" The lion of Rosenburg smiled, a thing that hadn't happened for _days_, his older brother thought it was probably an unconscious reaction that came with him thinking of his majesty.

Gwendal smiled too, reassured to see the younger male acting a bit more like he had gotten used to. His smile turned melancholic and a tinge sad when he thought of his answer.

"I'm not a fool Conrad… When we're all together, I know I'm not the first one to attract his attention, far from it, I mean, unless he did something overly foolish and stupid, _again_… He'll see you, he'll be worried, he'll apologize, and I'll just make my exit somewhere along the way. I may… have affections for the Maoh… but from the moment I realized them, I knew that there was nothing good to expect out of these feelings." The dark grey haired man explained.

"That's not true… Yuuri- he cares for all of us, for you as well. He's not the type to make that kind of favoritism." the knight argued.

"Maybe not openly, or consciously. And even if he cares for everyone, he can't _love_ everyone. I shouldn't even have _the right_ to have those feelings! He-… People can't help but like him. The number of admirers he earned himself over the years cannot be counted. The number of people wishing they could share his bed is hardly better… He can't answer all of their affections, especially not with his remaining naivety. The king was once also very adamant about his preference for women, he might have quieted his claims because of Wolfram's insistence, but it remains clear. Besides, his majesty lives with the "conventions" of another world: where all humans have the same life span, so appearance and age take a large part in making a choice." He finished his explanation, not thinking that more needed to be said.

"If Yuuri truly cared for age differences, he would have reacted a lot more to Wolfram being at least as old as his grandparents… And Nicolas' relationship with Huber would have shocked him a lot more. But it didn't. Because, Yuuri doesn't care about those things. Well, maybe if Greta was to choose someone much older than her, he might react… though, I'm pretty sure he'll have a shock no matter who the little princess chooses… As for, _where_ his affections lay…. I must say, he's quite mysterious, even for me… It seems to be getting tenser and tenser between him and Wolfram, but it's very hard to determine his feelings… I'm not even sure the two even got past kissing base…" the knight laughed a bit at that, he tried not to imagine _his_ Yuuri's private life within the royal chambers, out of his waking and changing time in the mornings, but wouldn't it be foolish to think that he and his fiancé haven't done _anything_ when they have been sleeping in the same bed for _six years_? It'd be positively outrageous, and surely Wolfram would have most certainly already tried to spread rumors about his fiancé's "impotence" if that was the case…

"Hmph! The both of them are too old and lived together for too long to be so shy about this…" the lord stated.

"Right."

* * *

><p><strong>Back to Yuuri:<strong>

"Yuu-? Is something wrong?" Conrad asked as he entered his older brother's chambers, the atmosphere was tense, and there was no way anyone could ignore it.

The brown haired soldier observed the two men carefully, just as they eyed one another warily. No one acknowledged his presence. The two were much too taken in their mutual glaring.

Yuuri was sitting cross legged on the bed; he looked almost like an animal that had been pushed back and was now protecting the last bits of its territory, which happened to be a large bed in this case. Gwendal on the other hand was the patient predator, standing, just lightly leaning against the highly decorative nightstand. Both were ready to pounce and launch an attack.

Conrad was almost tempted to wait and see if the confrontation would really take place.

"Would I be asking too much if I said I wanted to understand the situation?" the knight tentatively tried to break the "moment" the two were sharing.

"How _I_ would like to understand as well…" the dark lord stated, his voice grave and his tone almost threatening, something that was usual, but for some reason it made even the brave lion wish he had some hole to crawl back in.

"You're taking this much too personally." The double black stated.

"What. Is. Going. On?" the poor soldier tried again.

"This fool decided to join Geigen Huber's squad!" Gwendal finally exploded.

"What?" the equally astonished Conrad turned to his shared fiancé.

"And I won't change this decision!" the dimension-crossing Maoh panned, drawing a clear line that stated plainly that his stubbornness wouldn't allow for negotiations.

"But why?- Don't tell me it's because he's also going there!" Conrad trailed off. Well, he was touched that his fiancé would go so far to be closer to where he was but-

"It's not like that." Yuuri deadpanned, completely deflating the young half-demon soldier (well, young by demon standards).

It was actually partly for that, but not only. Yuuri could remember only too well the explanation he had received about the battle of Rosenburg and the consequences, which had pushed Huber to do something stupid, which in turn caused the death of many people, one among many others being lady Suzanna Julia. It was like a key position. And he felt like he _had_ to have a part in this. He wanted to make sure that Conrad and Yosak would get out of this alive, but he was also the only one knowing what Huber was capable of, how it could very well end, and how this whole thing would bring about a great tragedy. He knew that if Conrad's victory was reported to Huber, he would most likely want to prove his own _greater_ glory, and it'd all end in an unimaginable blood bath.

The double black didn't plan on living in this dimension forever, so maybe he also felt a bit responsible for at least securing Lady Julia, which was still a very important presence for Conrad. It wasn't like they'd miss him all that much, right? After all, it had barely been two - almost three weeks since they knew one another… Things had moved fast, that was all…

"Anyway, we're still not sure whether he'll accept you or not. If he doesn't, you _will_ come in _my_ squad!" Gwendal growled.

"And who do you think you are to order me like that!" the black haired youth raged, as he punched the mattress.

"Your _fiancé_, your _lover_! And I don't want you to risk your life! Neither does _he_!" the dark blue eyed noble screamed back, pointing to his little brother to emphasis the last part of his speech.

"I don't want for either of you to risk your lives either! I don't want _anyone_ risking their life! But did my opinion ever matter?" the double black screamed, his declaration followed by a shameful silence from the other men.

"We… have no choice but to fight and risk ourselves." Gwendal finally let out.

'I know… if only there could be another choice… But at this point I guess options are too limited.' Yuuri mentally agreed.

"Yuuri…" Conrad spoke up once again, he knew that he was also part of the reason this whole matter exploded now, but he wasn't the kind of man that would go back on his words, nor was he the kind that would turn back with his tail between his legs in front of a worried (and very angered) loved one.

He passed his frowning brother almost like a guilty thief would pass a guarded door in hopes of not getting arrested for his deeds. Fortunately his sibling accepted his actions (plus if that kept on he would end up sleeping on the floor since his fiancé didn't seem ready to let go of his bed shaped territory).

The soldier kneeled on the bed carefully, doing his best not to startle the, more dangerous than he looks like, double black. He felt like approaching a ruffled cat, a small but dangerously clawed animal. He slowly approached his hand, and tentatively touched the young man's face.

Of course, if Yuuri found the extra precaution relatively comical, he managed not to show it. Instead, he felt like playing this game by leaning into the touch. The man who was now touching him would soon go into the fray and face a life threatening battle; he wanted to feel this man alive now, because all this seemed very unreal.

Encouraged by his fiancé's actions the knight quickly took this chance to lean in and softly kiss the black haired man. He obviously surprised his love, but he then felt the younger man relax and let him take the advantage.

The kiss ended soon. And just as Yuuri tried to search the brown eyes of his shinning knight for answers, maybe intentions, he was suddenly put off balance by a shift in the mattress. Gwendal took immediate advantage of the fragile position his fiancé was in, as he had taken position on the bed, to lay the youth in his arms and take his immediate revenge by passionately kissing his lover.

'This is not how I expected things to go! But… I don't… really want it to go any other way…' Yuuri thought as he responded to the older demon lord, if there was only one time to let himself be swept away by feelings he had before managed to ignore, it would be now. Now, in what seemed like the very last moment of peace they could ever share.

He soon got torn away from his overly passionate and maybe possessive fiancé, by a half naked Conrad.

'Wait? Half-naked? With such intricate and heavy clothing, how can he be so fast? Stripping training with Yosak?' idle thinking being Yuuri's forte, he almost missed the moment his clothes were almost literally ripped off of him.

"Hey! Don't ruin them! Where's the fire?" the double black quickly amended, stopping the strong hands from ripping the fabric.

"Take it slow Conrad. Or do you want _me_ to teach you how it's done?" Gwendal stated from behind Yuuri as his arms slide under the youngest male's ones so that his hands could reach and carefully unbutton the clothes, the smirk was apparent in his voice.

"I could do that myself you know!" Yuuri stated indignantly.

"It'd probably take _years_…" the brown haired knight stated, eliciting another indignant "huff" from his fiancé.

While Gwendal carefully undressed Yuuri from his upper layer of clothes, Conrad took care of Yuuri's pants, glad to know he wouldn't have to bother with the difficult boots (Yuuri wouldn't have gotten on the bed with them! Contrary to his disrespectful lovers!). The dark lord didn't only take care of his lover's clothes; he also made sure to mark his territory all over his neck, making the younger man sigh in pleasure whenever he'd suck at an especially sensitive point.

Not wanting to be left out, Conrad also proceeded in caressing and marking his fiancé's legs, surprised by how muscular yet soft they seemed to be.

"Your body is more sportive than I thought the last time I saw you in the baths." He stated while caressing the long limbs.

"If you don't like it, then stop touching!" Yuuri complained as every caress and kiss made him more restless, the situation only becoming worse when Gwendal thought better to leave his shirt on and have his hands roam the flesh of his chest underneath, almost as if he didn't want his younger brother to get a better view than he had.

"Oh, but I like it, I like it a lot, Yu~uri!" the soldier stated, unknowingly snapping something inside his lover by saying his name like that.

"Conrad…." The otherworldly king muttered, not crying the name of the one humming against his skin, but the one of a man he so wanted to see again. His Conrad, scarred from the war and by the death of Lady Julia, his faithful knight to which he would have given all of himself had he not been trapped in a loveless engagement, if that knight had just asked…

He hurriedly shook his morose thoughts away, he _would _see Conrad again, _his_ Conrad, and he would see _his_ Gwendal again, he only wished he didn't have to eternally leave the ones he had met in this world to do so… Farewells were not his thing.

All thoughts evaporated as Conrad made quick work of the double black's underwear, lowering his fiancé down on the mattress as the demon lord finally took off the remaining shirt off of him. The soldier also quickly discarded his own boots and pants while Gwendal searched for the more appropriate oils that he had risked that dignity to ask from Gisela (he was sure his old silver haired friend would never let him live that one down).

It was time enough for the double black to recuperate and protest as the jar was handed with some reticence to Conrad, who parted his lover's legs with the vigor and impatience pertaining to his youth.

"W-wait! I-I… C-can't I…?" he started.

"What? Prepare yourself?" as much as the idea sounded incredulously tempting, the soldier was afraid it meant that Yuuri didn't believe him with such a task…

"T-that's not what I meant…" the youth reddened to threatening levels for his health. "I-I meant to ask if I could… you could-… you know…" he continued, the reddening of his face showing his near incapacity at asking whatever he wished for.

"What?" the brown eyed man asked curiously, at that point Gwendal had finished undressing himself, and after assessing the scene, he offered his help.

"Obviously he'd prefer to be on top rather than suffer your rough behavior." He deadpanned while Yuuri's face went completely red, before slowly receding to a more normal blush.

"I just… wanted to try it the other way…" he whispered.

Conrad's face fell a little, before palling, then looking completely crestfallen and maybe a bit astonished by his fiancé. Finally, he seemed to gather himself back and stated his decision firmly.

"No."

"…Why?" the double black asked querulously, wondering if there was a land mine where he had stepped that he had no idea of…

"Just. No." Conrad deadpanned, cutting short to any negotiation, somehow feeling that Yuuri was too good with words for him to win a verbal battle.

'But why? Am I doomed to be on the bottom end of everything? And I'm definitely not asking Gwendal: I'm too afraid of the look he might give me if I did…' the younger male made a mental note to someday see if he could get on the subject of bad sexual experiences with his perfect knight….though he could hardly imagine it happening…

He was going to proceed with "the puppy eyes of doom", but was immediately stopped, as his oldest fiancé thought that his younger brother had sufficiently admired his lover, and turned him so Yuuri's chest touched the dark grey haired lord's while they locked in another kiss.

The brown haired soldier almost pouted before admitting to the few advantages of this new development: namely the naked behind of the younger male. Which he didn't wait to attack with hurriedly slickened fingers.

Yuuri sighed quite audibly at the many sensations he experimented as Conrad stretched and felt him, kissing the end of his spine and _petting_ his thighs with the remaining hand, while Gwendal continued with his recently found neck kissing obsession and played with his nipples which had become overly sensitive.

Pleasurable, but extremely frustrating as both his lovers carefully avoided the parts of him which most needed attention, of course he repaid this neglect behavior to his elder lover. Trailing his hands down the muscular body, he found his goal: a straining erection, which he teasingly let his fingers ghost over, making the demon lord groan as his thrust only met with empty air.

He understood the silent complaint, but his hands were fine where they were and almost found it unfair of his lover to ask _him_ when Conrad was so obviously the one that should be so frustratingly teased. His left hand not doing much as the younger male gave all his attentions at his current task, which would soon be completed, he remarked, as the youngest among them let out a loud mewling sound as another finger entered the pliant flesh.

As any bashful youth, Conrad was impatient, and his own need trembled and pulsed, leaking even, whenever the brown haired male would think about the prospect of it replacing his fingers. Feeling the soft, but tight and hot flesh made his desire near unbearable. He was still too innocent about the physics of two men mating to be fully conscious of the consequences that could result from his bashfulness; preparation was, right now, about the only thing that differenced Yuuri from a woman, an interpretation which he was at least conscious should not be said aloud.

Plus, this thought was again crushed when his older brother moved his lover again, making his fingers slip out, to his utmost displeasure. Thought breaking out of his thoughts made him realize that his selfishness was uncalled for, and more of an hindrance if his purpose was to be loved back, which it was. Saying that Yuuri was like a woman hadn't meant to signify that he thought of him the same as the many adventures he had had, but since he had never really been considerate of any of the easy street women, it might have been just the same, as the only women which he respected currently were his mother and Lady Julia, but those were so high above every other being in his mind that he couldn't think of them as _just_ _women_ either.

While the soldier had his head cooling, though determined not to dwell too much in his thoughts as they were still very much biased because of his arousal, Gwendal had managed to rearrange his lover above him with some difficulty. Not that Yuuri hadn't understood, nor did he truly complain about it, but it just looked like it would be so _embarrassing,_ that he hesitated in doing it.

Though, all doubts evaporated when his oldest lover took the first step. The double black gasped as the grey haired lord parted his tights in order to lower him. Yuuri blushed as he caught a glimpse of his admired knight, looking curiously at the way the other two found each other: the oldest on his back and the youngest over him in a way that had them facing each other's erection.

"I'm impatient to see what you'll do in such a position…" the soldier commented.

Answering to that provocation, the double black soon started to please the man under him, enclosing his mouth around the treat that had proudly stood in front of him. Thus making Conrad all the more excited with the sight, while Gwendal was just experiencing the ninth level of heaven, a feeling soon shared as he worked on giving equal attentions to Yuuri.

Hardly able to wait more, though his brother's position made him hesitate for a second, the brown eyed soldier oiled his member with the watery substance his brother had somehow gotten in his possession. A moment after, once sure the weird substance wouldn't empty itself all over the sheets, he placed himself behind his fiancé. The soft bed made their whole position awkward, but this bit of moving only made their pleasure greater when he finally joined with the double black.

Yuuri cried at the many feelings that overpowered him as he was pleased in ways he was sure weren't legal in his world. Conrad lost no time in starting to move, making the man under him please his erection in time with the powerful thrusts. On the other hand, Gwendal didn't seem to lose anything from the way his fiancé moaned and cried while stubbornly swallowing all he could of him.

Their love making, though uncommon, wasn't unpleasant, but Gwendal could feel that, if he had any luck at talking about it to his younger brother, he would need to introduce him to a very important notion of patience which he had first expected his swords master to teach him, for he could easily feel from Yuuri's moves and moans that Conrad probably brushed against his lover's prostate as many times as it did not. There were moments when the fast pattern of the young soldier would make the double black whine in ecstasy, and other periods when he would only seem to feel frustration, bordering on pain as the constant movements heated his fragile skin without good retribution.

However, the way Gwendal's moist mouth enveloped him made him forget of any inconveniences as soon as they seemed to appear, taking obvious care at maintaining his young lover in a state excitation, yet keeping said lover away from total completion when Conrad would find his sweet spot again.

After a while of this Yuuri finally gave in and forgot all shame in asking his older lover to stop squeezing his privates to keep him from coming whenever he went close enough to do so. To answer his desire, Gwendal simply slid out from under his lover through the side, making Conrad stop for a moment and Yuuri had to force back a growl of disappointment, which made the dark haired demon lord smile.

"You wished for me to stop, did you not?" he asked in a way that seemed so formal and out of their current context that it only made the double black redden terribly.

"Yuuri…" Conrad lovingly whispered as he was more at ease now that his brother had moved from under his lover to in front of him.

The double black shivered in response as his younger fiancé hugged him, continuing his thrusts where he had left off. Feeling Conrad loving him so tenderly completely erased the faults which pertained to his younger and more impetuous self than what Yuuri was used to.

The dark grey haired lord made himself remembered soon, kissing his gasping lover before presenting his erection to him again, urging a favorable reaction by pulling away the long and silky hair from the younger male's face, while the right hand found its way back to an erect nipple.

Far from refusing to please, the youth approached the weeping member again, lapping the appearing pre-come, though bitter, as thought it was nectar. The image, had Yuuri not been so lost in lust, would have made him draw back in shame at his perversity. But as it was, he just blushed at the, more definite now, feeling of being taken from both sides and enjoying it thoughtfully.

Finally catching on with his brother, Conrad also caressed his lover, taking in hand the still wet erection, pumping it in a rhythmic not quite in phase with his thrusts, but it made it even more pleasurable.

Almost accidentally, the two brothers caught sight of one another, both finding themselves troubled by it, especially since the expressions they currently bore were hardly ever meant to be seen by family. They would claim it was extreme confusion then, which made them do what they did. For, they both simultaneously approached one another, until their lips touched and then started kissing as if brotherhood had been completely forgotten. A moan from their younger lover, however, quickly brought them back to reality, and when they parted, they both sent the other a look clearly saying that this event should never be talked about.

The double black felt himself come close to completion, and distracted by the attentions of his lovers, he was surprised when his demon lord fiancé suddenly gripped his hair tighter and came, his position forcing Yuuri to swallow a good amount of the semen, while some spilled out of his mouth and trailed down his chin. When he realized how rudely he had treated his lover, Gwendal hurriedly took his erection out of the delicious mouth, but he couldn't deny that the sight of his come linking his still hard member to his lover's mouth was very enticing, almost enough for him to ponder the idea of returning into the hot cavern until he was ready to come again.

The idea was scratched away when his young lover trembled, reaching his peak and spilling his own come all over Conrad's hand and the blankets. Conrad himself could hardly bear the tightening of his lover around him and came barely a second after Yuuri's trembling had started.

Yuuri sighed as the after glow settled like a heavy blanket over him, seriously hoping that no one would suddenly break through the door to ruin the moment, like Conrad had done so, barely two nights ago. Said soldier barely found it in himself the power to slowly disengage himself from Yuuri, so he wouldn't hurt him, to lay next to the double black. He would usually possess much more stamina, but his feelings had been overloaded with too many contradicting things lately, it made him weary, especially if he so much as tried to think further than what the next hour would bring for him.

Gwendal found his place at the other side of his young fiancé, which adapted so he would face Conrad and have his back comfortably pressed against his older lover, Conrad hugged his fiancé and Gwendal wound one his arms around the two. They shared a small moment like this, to let everything fall back in place, to remember that tomorrow would force them apart. The hugs tightened at the thought, Conrad because he was convinced that those were the last moments of his life, probably his last cherished memory to take to the grave, and Gwendal because the thought of never seeing his dear brother again plagued his mind.

Gwendal had always dearly loved both his brothers, but the stupidity of rank and blood hadn't allowed him to ever fully express those feelings of brotherly love. And now that he had the chance of expressing himself, he ignored how to do it.

Yuuri himself drew a bit closer to his knight, worried. Extremely worried about the days to come, of whether or not Conrad would make it, like he did in his world, if he could help him, or at least if he could put a damn leash on Huber and keep the foolish man from dwelling on childish rivalry when the time called for maturity, seriousness and reason.

The depressing thoughts accumulating, the traces of their previous activity became too disagreeable for them to stay in this position. So they went to take a much needed bath, luckily not meeting any soldiers on patrol, as most were surely preparing for tomorrow, a task that Yuuri and Gwendal didn't have to take part in, as the maids had been designed to prepare for them, and Conrad had little to pack, since he didn't expect for a long journey, or stay at the frontier village, to him, his death was already on the program.

The two brothers truly felt as though these had been their last moments. And the night passed with this thought in mind…

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><p><strong>A.N.:<strong> Phew! Finished! I had an incredibly hard time writing this one! Hot scenes are so hard, I feel a new form of respect for those who write these scenes! Also, I'm sorry if my writing style starts getting a bit weird: English class asked us to read Jane Austen's _Pride and Prejudice_, and I feel like I have been influenced greatly by the old English writing style… probably at the worst moment in the story… XD oh well. We're ending on a sad note, the story's back on the serious lane!

I made Conrad a bit inexperienced, it's because I can't see his young self as anything but a rough, delinquent young man, just a slightly bit out of his adolescent crisis (if you rewatch the episode where his and Gunter's story is told (school days!) you can see him being a bit…err- self sufficient?

I mean, he's all:

Conrad: "I'm too fucking good and talented to bother getting my ass off the grass."

Gunter: "JUST GET TO WORK!"

Conrad: *wipes all the other students' arses* "See! Hmph!" (I'm just to damn much for you all! And I wanted to go to the same school as my friends (Yosak)! I just hate all those "pure blood"! They're just meanies!)

Gunter: *beats him as a lesson of humility* "grow up"

Very shortened version, but that's _very _roughly how I see it.)

Now a little scene with little Greta, because we don't see enough of her (besides, if anyone knows how old she is during the KKM episodes, it'd be nice to know, as I can't recall it)

**Greta:** Yuuri! Am I annoying you? *teary eyes*

**Yuuri:** WHAT! What ever-_ever_ gave you such an idea! You're my dear daughter! You could _never_ be annoying to me!

**Greta:** Really?

**Yuuri: **Of course! But what brought this on?

**Greta:** Because I'm always coming in your and Wolf's room whenever I have problems sleeping, Anissina said you were probably getting "frustrated"… It's a bad feeling isn't it? I don't really understand why, but she said it was because you couldn't do "dirty stuff" with Wolf!

**Yuuri:** (If anything I'm happy that she's always expected in the room at any moment: it keeps Wolfram at bay when I'm at loss of excuses… But that aside, I should find a way to take Greta_ far-FAR _away from Anissina before she puts anymore weird ideas in her head…) Please, don't worry Greta, Wolfram and I are NOT in need of privacy to do anything _weird_! And I am certainly not _frustrated_!

**Greta:** Really! *bright smile* I'm so glad! But I knew you didn't like painting like Wolfram anyway!

**Yuuri: **Painting?

**Greta:** Yeah! Isn't painting the "dirty stuff"? Wolf's paints smell _so bad_! I can't stay in the room when he's doing it! And he's always dirtying the walls and the floor with it!

**Yuuri:** **…**

**Greta:** ?

**Yuuri:** Ah… yes… painting… Err- Indeed, don't worry Greta, I'm certainly _not fond _of Wolfram's paintin-err, paint smell… so don't worry about this anymore.

**Greta:** Ok! *runs off*

**Yuuri:** I never so much apprehended the prospect of having "the talk"… I should probably ask for help with that. There's no way I'm having Wolfram help though… Gwendal would be more serious and to the point, but he'd probably complain that he has a headache and his eyebrow would twitch compulsively for at least a month afterwards… If I ask Gisela,… she'll probably be too technical and confuse her… Anissina-*shivers* err-No. Gunt-No. Murat-not him either. Yosa- NO! Argh! Who could possibly be of any support! Conrad? …*blush* there's no way I'm asking him… Maybe Cherry, she did it three times at least after all… *visualizes the three sons*,… or maybe not.

**Conrad:** *appears* Your majesty, Gunter was searching for you, it's about time for your lessons…? Is something the matter?

**Yuuri:** Nothing, _sir Weller_, I was merely pondering about the absolute uselessness of the people living in this castle at such a _crucial_ time!

**Conrad:** Is there a problem, Yu~uri? I'd be glad to be of aid, I'll help anyway I can! *hopeful but not showing it*

**Yuuri:** *sigh* Ah! *suddenly realizes* Of course! I should ask Nicolas and Hube! Since they're parents too! *runs off*

**Conrad: ***pales* Why? (He can't be…pregnant?)

When Yuuri finally got through "The Talk" with his daughter, along with Nicolas for mental support, but not Huber as he thought it would be too embarrassing to have to answer questions, the whole castle was informed, not from the rumors, not because of the maids and not because of Yuuri. In fact, it took at least two months before Greta was finally short on embarrassing questions and precisions to ask to e-v-e-r-y s-i-n-g-l-e person that lived in Blood Pledge Castle. It took another couple of months before the majority of the questioned people could go over the trauma or out of their habit to hide whenever they saw the princess walk within the corridors.

Inadvertently, it also had the most unfortunate consequence of her strengthening her relations with Anissina and Gisela… The most troubling matter was probably the blushing faces the Maoh would come across wherever he went, and the way his fiancé would suddenly be very protective of him. Little did he know his daughter had gone on a quest to know the exact number of people that were susceptible of giving her a little brother, as for now, all she understood about the "cheating" that her blond papa kept yelling about, was that Yuuri could probably fall pregnant from someone other than Wolfram.

It was only much later, when the Maoh started realizing the many problems and confusions that he asked Gisela's help to straighten a very crucial fact to Greta, and Cherry's sons. Certainly, he'll never forget the day that he had to teach Wolfram, Conrad and even Gwendal, that MEN did NOT fall pregnant…

At least he had been right in not asking for Cherry's help…


	18. Calm before battle

**At your service**

**A.N.: **For all it's worth, I'm really sorry for the long hiatus. *bows apologetically* I kept thinking I'd manage an update much sooner… Didn't happen… Plus now I lost my draft… Anyway, this fic is not dead! Although I might have to rethink the length of each chapter.

I also thank you all who left comments, so much encouragement is what kept me striving to finish yet another chapter, even if it took so very very long!

I'm also very happy with all the notifications of people putting my story in their favs, although I'd be even more pleased if they told me what they thought of their read. I can understand, though: I too, sometimes can't find the right words to leave in a comment

On a side note I saw that fanfiction. Net now allowed to put more than two characters to choose from in categories, isn't it perfect for this little threesome? XD

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 18: Calm before battle<br>**

The dreaded morning came. Much too soon in everyone's opinion. It also brought forth an unexpected meeting. Every soldier, as hurried or disciplined as they were, could not help but turn heads whenever they walked close to Huber's squad.

The very unique double black was standing there, a rarity among demons, something that should simply not exist among half-breeds. Right now, he was patiently waiting for judgment, as Huber weighted his possible choices and decisions.

Not far from the duo that no one had expected to ever see again, the first prince himself was standing, waiting, his men diligently waiting behind him, prepared already and respecting their superior's unusual worry and attachment. The fact that the tall and impressive man suddenly showed emotions, that no one would have previously given him the ability to have, tainted in no way the deep respect his men showed towards him. It only seemed to prove that this man was worth even more than what they had previously thought of him.

On the other hand, Grisela Geigen Huber did not glow with the same respected aura. When he stood tall, one could only see contempt and misplaced pride. When his cousin was known to have a great sense of duty and a pride that remained in the bounds of his position, Huber was known to have a pride that did not allow for him to consider the life of those under him, his performances being therefore hindered.

Even so, Huber had well chosen the greatest part of his men: people which he considered their blood to be of high purity, or that were extremely conscious of the importance of it. Those who did not fit these ideals were the lackeys, or simply the dutiful soldiers that preferred to keep silent at all times and just do what they were here for, not bothering or caring much about these questions, mostly because their origins at least allowed for them to be unconcerned, but they often fell pray to the others who saw, in their neutrality and equal respect of everyone, a provocation. In a way, Yuuri felt that those people resembled what he would have been if he had never had a chance at expressing his wish for equality (probably through going mute).

Everyone waited for the decision to come, as Yuuri had unexpectedly walked up to the demon lord, queen's approval in hand, to ask to join his squad, if he accepted it. Huber could smell something fishy about the proposal, and he certainly didn't want of an "inferior blood" in his squad. But his pride suffered with the crushing defeat of three days ago; a proof that, this impudent youth, truly was a double black and, by definition, a good war element. Plus, the man looked at him with such assurance that it made him desire to see him under the plight of his orders, and he'd make sure they would be as unfair as they could possibly be.

"Very well. I'll welcome you to my squad, but _do remember_ that _**I**_ will be your _superior_, you filthy half-breed!" he stated, making his most undisciplined men snicker, and Gwendal frown in such a way that his men were sure Huber would have _at least_ turned to stone had he so much as _glimpsed_ in his direction.

"Right. And do remember that my _social rank_ is actually higher than yours, sir." Yuuri answered back, being a man had advantages such as that if you married with a man of high position, unlike a woman, you were able to, in theory, inherit that position for yourself. As such, he had an importance barely under the one of the head of one of the ten noble's houses, much-_much_ higher than Huber's position, as related to Gwendal as he was, and such, even if he wasn't married yet. And as Huber had decided to be an ass, Yuuri would be one as well.

"A position that someone of your _kin_ should not possess. We are all very aware of how undeserving of it you are. As I doubt prostitution is a good enough recommendation. You certainly won't seduce me as easily as you did my cousin or his shameful brother!" the proud demon spat back, by now the first prince's men were mentally ready to see the man's head flying at any moment, cleanly ripped of by the swift stroke of their superior's blade, which he gripped quite tightly.

"I assure you that there's _absolutely not a single minimal chance_ of me ever-_**ever**_trying, even drunk, unconscious, amnesic **and** forced, to seduce you." The double black proclaimed so loudly that even the most impassible soldiers had to double check their facial expression at Huber's expense, while said noble had started blushing in indignation.

"…" Huber chose to keep silent, as he had not really planned on the half responding to his insults.

"_Ever._" Yuuri added for good measure, as if his previous statement was deemed not strong enough. "And certainly not as long as you remain such an asshole."

"Then I wish he stays that way forever." Gwendal whispered as the tension suddenly completely disappeared.

"Just-… JUST! ALL OF YOU JUST GO AND PREPARE YOUR HORSES! And YOU! Don't fall behind! If I see you slacking even for a quarter of a second, you're out! Understood? I don't even want to see you having the leisure time to wipe the sweat off your brow!" the squad captain threatened before walking off and ordering his men left and right to catch back on the lost time.

"Alright… Time for a world of pain in the neck. Oh joy!" the double black sighed as he took the light pack of his minimal belongings and started towards the stables to get his horse, probably the most turbulent one they could find.

"If you're going to complain, you should have come to my squad…. And if it was what you wanted, I would have gladly given you things to complain about." The dark lord mumbled, but his fiancé already hurried after the men of his new squad.

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><p>Yuuri had always been a bit wary of horses, ever since his first try to ride alone on one's back. The only one he actually rode without fear was Ao. He could say that he "trusted" his personal horse; he was like one of his companions, an animal friend of sorts. Ao always answered his call and he could feel a sort of empathy with him. Even if he was sleeping, he knew he could trust Ao to bring him where he wanted, and if not, where he <em>should<em> be. However, Yuuri had soon realized that no horse was like Ao was with him. He always somehow ended up annoying them, and if not, his natural "luck" would have whatever natural element agitate them. Once it was a mosquito, another time a snake, or even a pebble on the road that would perversely sneak at the wrong place in his horse's hoof.

Knowing all that, he could only expect the worst of the young stallion that was handed to him. Conrad had once told him that his stress could only serve to make the horse even less willing, but he could hardly help it. The horse _looked at him_ as if saying that he'd make his trip hell, and no amount of training with his knight would save him.

Some of the men from Huber's squad that didn't share with their superior a condescendence towards half-breeds were kind enough to, by their presence alone, keep at bay the others which impatiently waited for a moment to pick on him, and maybe have him fall off the animal, which he already had had the highest trouble getting on.

The horse was impatient, and from the time they finally left the Castle, before Conrad's squad so they would get informed first, Yuuri knew that he'd spend the whole journey trying to keep his horse from galloping to the front of the group, probably annoyed with being so close to other horses.

Of course, it wasn't as if Yuuri only had _that_ problem with mounting the beast, as last nights activities were highly regretted at each of the animal's steps. He tried putting on a brave front, feeling self-conscious, as he imagined all the people he crossed were aware of the reasons why he had such a hard time sitting still on the saddle.

'I'm starting to regret not being the one putting on the saddle: I can't help but wonder what to expect out of that one… I don't even know if it's male or female… Last time I had a lady horse, she was in heat...' the otherworldly Maoh thought with apprehension, also wondering if there could be a good excuse for not resting his ass directly on the seat…

While the group went through the town, many eyes would turn to stare at the very rare sight of a double-black. A fact that didn't help Yuuri's uneasiness.

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><p>It was deep in the night when they finally saw the feeble lights of Frontier village. Not many people stayed there, as the war was coming ever closer to the borders of their small town. Fields were already abandoned, and as such, food was probably scarce in the inns.<p>

There was always a confusion, Yuuri remarked, between the notion of "town" and "village" in this one case. It seemed that the Frontier would go from one to another every now and then. City walls were built up, then taken down, as they would hinder the trade, but war so often reached them that they had to build them up all over again at some point. Large houses of stone, decorative arcs and monumental sculptures easily mixed with small wooden houses, taverns, and even the stables. Places that looked like they could burst with life and activity entirely deserted. Confusing and hectic, small but grand: that was Frontier Village.

The squad was welcomed near one of the "main squares" of town, an economical district, or what was left of it, the inns had been invaded with soldiers, their own squad was dispatched to a small inn that certainly hadn't enough beds for all of them, and though Huber protested, he was forced to accept as they explained that they prepared the beds there for the wounded and the healing squad that would arrive soon. Although, it was probable that the healing squad would prepare tents closer to the battle field, the inns could always be used for the ones that needed rest but not permanent medical assistance.

"Some of you will have to make do with the floor. Just share your material with those who gets the beds: I'll need you all well rested in the days to come." Huber stated to his men as they approached their quarters for the days to come, an informant waiting in front of it along with two poor and old looking maids, waiting to give the men instructions with the chambers and stables.

"Aye, Sir!" the men closest to their captain exclaimed.

"And you!" Huber suddenly stated, pointing in Yuuri's direction, "You'll be taking care of the horses." He smirked. "You sleep in the stables." He panned before turning back to the road.

The double black would have complained, not really wishing to sleep in the cold stables, surrounded by noisy horses and smelly dung, but he guessed he could only expect for an even worse treatment if he refused. In a way, he guessed he had known worse… like the time Wolfram had ordered him to sleep on the floor of his painting studio so he would (very artistically), catch the right expression of his sleeping face… but was kicked every time he so much as tried to get "comfortable".

* * *

><p>Yuuri looked up from his current task (mainly trying to talk his horse into being a bit more reasonable), when the stable's door opened. He was taken aback at the sight of his half-breed fiancé standing there.<p>

"Conrad! Did you just arrive? I thought your quarters would be _in _Rutemberg." He stated, though he was glad to have at least someone he was at ease with to talk to.

"Yeah… The camp is made already, but I wanted to see you. It's fine, since the enemy's movements seems to have calmed down, and as we are in numerical inferiority, it's best for us to wait for their advance and make a surprise attack while they pass through the "Rutemberg pass", it's small and they'll have to take it in a tight line, we'll wait for them around the corner then. And really, Rutemberg is quite close to Frontier village, they're almost right next to one another." The soldier explained.

"I see… I wish there was a possibility to talk this over with them… Anyway, I suppose it's good for you as well: your men can rest for a while. Did you need me? I can help with the wounded ones while the healing squad isn't there." The double black remarked, remembering that some of his knight's men had been wounded.

"I'll ask for Huber's permission to take you for a few hours tomorrow, most were taken care of in priority back at the castle, but some of them started having problems on the way- it's nothing grave though." The brown haired soldier quickly amended as his fiancé gave him a very worried look.

"I could go now! We shouldn't have them wait! What if it suddenly got worse?" he cried, not wanting to put these men through anymore suffering than they were already destined to.

"It's fine: Yosak will come and get us in case something like that happened. Right now, I want to be in your presence, if you'll allow it." He stated with a timidity that forced his lover to comply, he directed them to a clean side of the stable, so they could talk at ease.

Once seated, Yuuri was once again surprised with his knight, who all but jumped him, hugging him tightly and having them fall backwards. The double black kept from commenting or protesting as he realized that his fiancé wasn't doing any more than that; just hugging him tightly, head against his chest and cherishing the moment. Understanding that tiredness and depression was starting to catch back on the poor man, Yuuri simply began to stroke the long hair of his lover, doing his best to create a peaceful atmosphere.

Conrad was just a man. A hero maybe, but even those heroes were just men, scarred of death, scarred to lose loved ones. They could be afraid, tired, sad and all that, which made a man a man, human, or demon, or in-between, it was all the same. And right now, his knight, his lion, his friend and lover, needed a warm presence, someone he could just feel love from and no need for words. Yosak might have been good for talks, but not for that…

Absentmindedly, Yuuri wondered if Julia had done the same thing he did now with the Conrad from his world, somehow the thought sent a strange spike up his spine, something that highly felt like jealousy. Julia might have been his soul, but he was a different person from her, being compared to the lady had always been his greatest fear. He couldn't stand the thought of being just Julia's (sorta) spawn in his knight's eyes.

They stayed like that for some time, at least until the tension receded. Conrad also started to feel like he should stop the cuddling there. As much as it felt good to be next to his loved one, he could always count on his male instincts to make him horny even when he didn't really want their moment to degenerate in love making.

"We should go. I'll be taking care of the wounded ones." The double black said, feeling that his lover had sufficiently calmed down.

"Yeah… Don't you need to tell Huber?" the captain added with a grimace.

"Maybe… but I believe he hardly cares anyway, so it's fine. Besides, I think we let the others wait for long enough." Yuuri said while going for the door.

* * *

><p>Two days of hard labor and servitude under Huber's orders passed. On the night following that, Conrad's squad finally left to meet their destiny. It was a moment of extreme anxiety. Yuuri knew that little would survive; the others didn't expect anyone back.<p>

In the two days he had stayed here, Yuuri had seen Julia. She was much colder than what he remembered her to be, during his last trip to the past. Soon, he learned it was because she wanted to test the man Conrad had fallen in love with, the one he was ready to share with his own brother.

Once the lady felt no more doubts, she became close to him, explaining how she was worried for the half breed, how she wouldn't be able to get over his death if he was to die. Conrad was her confident, her best friend. One of the rare people she could feel completely at ease around and no need to force herself into a being proper lady.

It was true that by observing her for some time, Yuuri could feel that she wasn't very…"lady like" by many points. Gisela would grimace and sigh at seeing the noble woman boldly go through muddy paths covered in horse dung, whatever reason pushing her decision always being more motivating than the green haired medic's calls for decency. She would kick out anyone occupying a bed in their wing without good reason and sometimes dance without her shoes on to liven up the sick bay, when she had no more energy to heal them. In one word, she was exasperating all her servants and retainers (not unlike him, but he didn't notice the resemblance), but it was easily compensated by the respect the soldiers had for her, or even the smiles she managed to bring to some of them.

Huber was condescending as always, and he didn't even feel the slightest shame at spitting on the name of the double black's half-breed fiancé while he was probably in the middle of a deadly battle. Had Yuuri not been so focused on trying to trace and feel the condition of his shinning knight, he would have punched him good, fortunately… Julia did it for him.

'Note to self: never underestimate a blind, frail looking woman's strength….'

* * *

><p>On the morning that followed the sleepless night, Huber sent a messenger to ascertain the situation on the battlefield. It was obvious he wanted to assure himself of his rival's failure so he could gloat that he had been right and would succeed where the useless half-breed had failed.<p>

However, by noon the messenger returned with news that were both alarming and reassuring.

"The human's west army has been defeated! Now the war is almost over, captain!" the messenger excitedly told the man, obviously glad that he would soon be able to see his family and get away from his armor.

"What?" Huber was astonished, not only was the victory kept from him, but this man even dared to be happy about it!

"What about the survivors?" Gisela pleaded, stealing the words out of many mouths.

"It's a real carnage! Ladies such as you shouldn't go there… However, I didn't see the bodies of Sir Weller, or the one of his second." The man stated, making the double black heave a sigh he had been holding, though the problems weren't over yet.

"Do not worry about us, we'll be going immediately there to attest of the situation by ourselves. Do you mind according us your protection, Geigen Huber? We'll be going on a former battlefield after all." Julia stated, just the sound of her voice had her squad pack all they could, as fast as they could, so they would be ready to leave.

But Huber made no indication that he had heard her. His eyes were burning and his fists were clenched at his sides.

"My lord!" the blue haired noble insisted.

"Tch! You go and waste your noble powers on those inferior beings if you feel the need to! But I won't allow for my pride to be stomped on so shamelessly by him! What will the kingdom look like, if we owe our victory to a mere hybrid? Come on men! Their defenses are weakened! We'll attack the enemy's camp now while we have the chance, and bring victory to our side! We'll defeat the main army! Let's crush them completely!" he yelled to his men.

'Is this world _really_ not just the past?! Everything just goes the same as I was told!' Yuuri silently complained, though it wasn't such a terrible thing if it allowed Conrad and Yosak to survive.

"Are you out of your mind? With this striking victory, the main army will now hesitate and most probably leave, the war can end like this! And yet you wish to bring us more deaths and a possible come back? If you fail, which is highly probable, the army will advance and our hope for peace never answered! If you go through with this, Huber, I won't hesitate to accuse you of treason! Your name will be scorned for generations!" Julia threatened, though the dark grey haired male didn't seem to listen to her, he was blinded by the assurance of a brilliant victory.

"Nonsense! I will come back victorious and covered in incomparable glory! Come on, men! Show me what you've got!" he yelled to his squad, the men were easily taken in by the view, especially since it was their territory and they felt no doubt that they could have even more on an advantage than the half-breed had with their powers in hand.

At this point Yuuri could bear it no more. He came up to the man, moving with a purpose. Once at the right distance, he unceremoniously punched him. A show of violence that went completely against his nature, but he saw no other possibility at the moment: the man needed to have his feet returning to earth, even if it was through violence, as he seemed to ignore all words to only listen to his one sided monologue.

The demon lord ended up lying on the muddy ground, all clamor had quieted in a sudden way, and even Julia looked surprised, as she knew not what had happened.

"What are you? A child? A retard? Men died for you all! All you're trying to do is selfishly rendering their deaths and efforts useless! There's no "fame" waiting for you at the end of the path you're taking! Just shame and deaths on your conscience! These men admire you for whatever reason, and yet you sacrifice them like they're mere pawns! Can't you understand that people just want for the war to finally end? No one cares for your "glory" or "victories"! If you continue with this useless stupidity, I'll take action, and believe me, you don't _want _to see me _really_ angry! Or maybe it's just what you need to calm you ardors: a public ass whipping!" the otherworldly Maoh yelled at the fallen man, gathering his demonic energy, so he would look even more threatening.

The audience stayed silent, all were looking at the double black in astonishment, until then convinced that the stories of what had happened that one time in the Maoh's trone room had been beautified lies. Feeling the threat to their safety, or understanding the truth of the words spoken, the men slowly backed away, some starting to doubt their captain's claims.

"You… how _dare_ you? Remember your place! You have no right to order me or feed me your bullshit! I don't care for your affections towards these inferior beings!" the squad captain raged, making Yuuri wonder what sort of universal law was keeping this Huber from showing the slightest sign of being the same than the one he knew.

"Your doubts are unfounded! I know that you don't trust me one slightest bit, but please! Don't let that blind you! Surely you can at least realize that I'm not trying to cause the kingdom arm! If you can't listen to me, listen to lady Julia! She's a "full blood", she's a noble!" the double black pleaded.

"I don't trust your traitorous blood, nor the ones that put their affections in those! Humans are just vile creatures, with their short lives they believe they bear more right to govern than us! This blood taints us! So, we'll go, and you'll come with me! If you want to prove that you're worth trusting, you'll fight by my side!" Huber raged, his determination unwavering.

Yuuri hesitated. He considered his choices and the ones he made. He felt the lives of many resting upon his shoulders at this moment, yet an inability to save them all, if anyone. In all the time he was a king, he had never faced such a crucial decision, and he bitterly realized that it was exactly what war was like. As a man of peace, even if many lives were deeply intertwined with his every decisions, he had made every possible efforts to avoid the terrible wars, even as he had never truly tasted it himself.

War, when plunged into it, was a thousand times more terrible than whatever his wildest nightmares, or the international news and history lessons had served him on the matter. It was also probably what kept "this" Huber from seeing things any other way, he couldn't. It was just impossible because "this" Huber hadn't been forced into human territory, never knew the simpler forms of friendship that existed among people of lower rank, and never met Nicolas.

"I'll fight…"

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.:<strong> Wew! This chapter was _hard_!

**Yuuri**: I can't help but feel like something is about to happen…

**Zel-chan:** You're right Yuu-chan, that's also partly why it was so hard to release… Time to get back on track. I'm still not quite satisfied with chapter 18, but after the 8th time rereading it, and probably _still_ leaving some grammatical or even basic English mistakes behind, I guess it's time to give up trying to improve _this_. Ah, well…

No ideas for a break! See you next chapter! Please leave a comment!


	19. To die at your service

**At your service**

**A.N.: **And yet another update! This episode was easier to write since it's part of the set events that I planned when first imagining the story. Might be a bit fast paced, but since you're reading this story, you're probably used to it by now! Yes, Yuuri, I'm _also_ looking at your engagement scene and the speed which it took Wolfram to become your own personal leech!

Disclaimer: do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19: Die at your service<br>**

As a king, well loved and protected by his trusted advisors, he had never, ever experienced- even less expected, to be one day, trusted into the field of battle. All his efforts to avoid war, never felt quite as worth the work as in this moment. Here, where death was so ever present and anchored into the earth, where even light seemed afraid to shine over the carnage, he felt immense pride in his work to maintain peace. Although, it was quickly overshadowed by his most recent failure.

Huber couldn't be stopped back in Frontier village, but Yuuri had feebly hoped that they could still retreat at the sight of the enemy's forces. Surely, if Huber saw himself being out numbered, he would call for retreat, with a bit of insistence. He was all the more convinced when his eyes fell upon the darkened and upturned earth. Dark with blood and rain, rumpled from previous battles. Corpses remained as well: those who had not been claimed back for a proper sending to the afterworld. Surely, the older demon would deflate…

The sight of it all, it was almost too much for Yuuri. If he wasn't so absolutely sure of the stupidity of Huber's actions, and that he wouldn't stop by himself, he would have turned back right in this moment.

He could almost hear the reprimands from his retainers, back in his original Shin Makoku. Were they here, they would yell at his actions!

His unease only grew as their squad advanced in the dead of the night, the only knowledge of where they were heading given by their scout, who made runs back and forth between them and the enemy's camp.

The scout had to be an extremely skilled man, if he managed that, Yuuri thought; as he was sure Yosak would never have dared making the same move. Then again, Yosak had understanding and mature people commanding him, like Conrad or Gwendal, not a fool like _this_ Huber.

'Hube…' Yuuri internally whined, using his daughter's way of calling the old demon, as he pictured the man's gentle manners whenever he was in the vicinity of either his wife or the younger inhabitants of the castle.

"Don't wet yourself too soon, wimp." The current Huber growled, misinterpreting the double black's slight wince.

'You just HAD to bring me back to reality, and _your_ ugly, pedant face!' he growled, though he didn't dare say such out loud.

"I'm just unsure about your choice of scenery: isn't this place a bit… well, wide open? Obvious?" he asked querulously. He remembered a time when Günter had coerced Gwendal into helping him with a lesson on strategies used in ancient conflicts, and he was sure what they were doing now, pretty much went against every small thing he had somehow retained.

"It's fine. It's their main hold we're going for. Such big things tend to grow both bold and weary when they're not moving. I doubt they expect any sort of assault. And if they heard of the 'battle' they just lost, their morale will be even lower, and their guard all the more weakened. We're going to win this one easily!" Huber assured with a confidence that almost had Yuuri swept off his feet.

'So _that's_ how he gets to have these devoted men to his side, even with all his current flaws…' he realized as the older demon let a smile of determination slip, even as he was in a half-breed's presence. 'It's too bad that what happened to the Huber I know completely destroyed that part of him… Even if it helped him realize his foolishness, does tragedy really need to be repeated? Only for this _one_ man to finally _see_?'

The double black didn't have the time to ponder on this matter, unfortunately.

It took naught but an instant. Just one moment of relaxation, and he almost missed the signs of something very wrong about to happen.

Yuuri could even feel his body and maryoku react faster than his brain understood _why_ it was moving. Maybe the whistle of the arrow, that nearly missed either he of Huber, had been his signal. The important part was that his energy shield was raised, and had bounced off the projectile before it could do harm.

_That_ was when he understood how foolish he had been to even _think_ of letting Huber come to the realization that his plan was foolish by himself. And why he would regret not first trying to knock the whole lot of his men to the ground, unconscious for at least long enough for peace to be declared.

For what followed was the sound of swords being drawn, many more than just the ones of the proud pure blooded demon's squad, and small lantern lights suddenly appeared successively all around them. The old battle ground on which they stood was a small recess in the ground, surrounded by forests that had managed not to succumb entirely from the many battles it had suffered. The lights were still a good distance away, but the message they sent was clear: they were surrounded. Their enemies had used the terrain to their advantage, while they were gallivanting here, out in the open, with a commander that had been too proud to even use the slightest of precautions.

"Damnit! What's going on? Dunban!" The grey haired male tried to call over his scouting soldier, but no reply came from the darkness ahead of them.

"Dundun?" Yuuri heard another soldier call, almost shyly. He knew then, that the situation was dawning on the other men: they were doomed.

"Calm down. They're probably not as numerous as the lights are trying to make us believe. They saw us and though they could stall us long enough to warn their camp. The plan is foiled, but do not despair: they're still just humans!" Huber declared loudly, and the ex-Maoh couldn't decide on whether the man truly believed those words, or if he made himself believe them so his men kept a small chance of fighting back and survive, instead of falling pray to uncertainty now and die.

"The lights are closing in!" another shouted.

Huber made a sign, and even in the darkness of night, every soldier under his command immediately reacted, effectively putting themselves in position. The soldiers made a circle ready to answer their trapped position, while Yuuri and Huber, the best maryoku users of their group, stood outside of it, warily observing the advance.

"Why aren't they firing more arrows?" Yuuri asked, as it would have seemed more logical to attack from their vantage point, rather than advance in the dark.

"Depends." Huber whispered back, and in this rare moment of deep concentration, he didn't even think of using his usual tone of disdain. "Maybe my supposition earlier was right, and they have too limited supplies to waste them on this shield of yours. Or they expect to use them if we retreat. They might also just want to have a… more satisfying way of killing us." The demon explained the possibilities in a low whisper, so that the rest of his men wouldn't hear it. "We're not going down without a fight." He added, looking briefly in Yuuri's direction.

"At least we agree on _something_. Too bad it had to come to _this_!" the double black answered confidently, the tinge of exasperation in his voice making the older demon smile bitterly.

"I still hate your guts, just so you know." The grey haired demon retorted.

"And, yet another thing! Dammit Huber! This must be _love_!" Yuuri joked as his fingertips started to glow blue as he concentrated maryoku here, ready to raise another shield if need be.

"Don't even joke about it. And didn't you promise you wouldn't try to seduce me? "Even dead, drunk, unconscious _and_ forced"? How would your _two_ fiancés react?!" the commandant kept their banter as he readied his own maryoku.

"If you feel attracted to me even with all the shit that's been going on between us, you've _got_ to be the most masochistic man I've _ever_ met. And let me tell you, I never thought I'd see someone take the cake over Conrad!" The water bending demon barely finished before the first wave of enemies came into sight, and Huber had to announce the charge to commence.

The battlefield became a confusing mass of people battling, of people falling, of blood spilling. The horror of it would have had Yuuri faint, if he were to ever remember it. He was almost glad it was a new moon today, and the darkness kept it all from being too vivid. Had he been in his own kingdom, he would have urged power, far beyond what any other being could call forth, to answer his command, and scarred the combatants away from the fight. But right now, he didn't even have the energy to raise one decently sized water dragon.

His powers had once more diminished since the fight with Huber and Wolfram, the double black realized with a slight panic.

Then again, in his own kingdom, he would have done _something_, probably with the aid and support of his friends and loyal subjects, to keep such a situation from rising in the first place!

But he didn't have the time to dwell on such questions, as he was soon forced to unsheathe his own blade. His throat constricted as he blocked the first direct blow of a human soldier. He felt sick as one of Huber's men used the opportunity to swiftly decapitate the man.

He wasn't feeling ill simply over the fact that he was now killing _people_, all because of his own decisions. No. He felt ill because of the smell of blood gushing out from the still warm bodies of these soldiers, the sound of steel swords hitting and ripping bones as much as they resounded against one another, the taste of dirt as it rose in the air while limp bodies hit the ground. And yes, all these things awoke inside of him an animalistic instinct, a deep buried cruelty and a despicable sense of _excitement_. And it made him feel sick to realize that his arms were tense with a strength far superior than what he had ever felt, all in the prospect of defending, slashing, hacking and killing.

He didn't know if it was _survival_ that called forth this sense of _satisfaction,_ as he made a wild swing that buried his blade in a human's face.

He didn't know, but he hated it.

The double black nearly lost his footing as he stepped on something that was definitely _not to be looked at_.

He still looked at it though.

It was Dunban's face, definitely recognizable even with his eyes cruelly ripped out, probably a punishment reserved for scouts, and maybe Yuuri as well, as his eyes might make for a good trophy for humans at war with demons.

It was only then that he realized the human forces were so numerous that they had completely dispersed Huber's squad. It was a wonder the fight still raged on. He also noticed that the view was becoming clearer, and it had less to do with his eyes were adjusting to darkness, than to the fact that the sun was right about to peek from beyond the horizon.

They were fighting for so long already.

Wounds marred his soft flesh. He hadn't noticed them before, for the sake of preserving his strength, to survive. But now they slowed his movements and stung as clothes broke the crust of drying blood at each step. Another arrow whistled. His barrier wavered for just a second too long. It struck at his shoulder from the back, not going deep as the barrage of demonic energy had still managed to slow it down. He wouldn't be able to do it another time though.

So long.

And now it all seemed lost. The men and Huber, he couldn't see them, as he dodged and blocked incoming blows with both bloodied sword and maryoku shields. He could still feebly hear cries and steel reeling against steel that were not caused by him, but it was clear that many had fallen already. So many had died, and he had been completely powerless to prevent it. His worst nightmare come true. And he didn't even know if Conrad was safe…

It was too much!

He _had_ to do something!

With all that he had, he gathered any maryoku that might have remained inside of him.

One last blow.

He knew he had that maryoku, dammit! It took so long to master his own energy, with the aid of the best maryoku users, no less! He had learned of every last drop of power he possessed. He was taught to bond his being to his designated element with nearly molecular precision.

Knowing he would have only one chance at this, he quickly sent a wave that sent nearby soldiers reeling away from him, ready the very next second, to use his all in the following blow. His sword was struck to the ground as arrows pierced his back in multiple places. He didn't care for the pain the new wounds brought him: it was too late to stop him at this point anyway.

The humans surrounding him had no time to flee, as a whirlwind of energy literally mowed them. At this point, Yuuri was too far gone to even realize, or adapt the strength of the water blades he sent around him. Anyone and anything trying to get too close to his person was reduced to bits, the water around the double black turning crimson red as he now used the blood of the fallen soldiers to sustain his powers.

The human soldiers yelled something he didn't understand, as his ears went deaf. A last shockwave was all he managed before his other senses also shut down.

* * *

><p><strong>The original Demon kingdom side:<strong>

"WHAT'S GOING ON? GISELA!" The distressed cry came from Conrad.

He and Gwendal had stood vigil by their monarch's bedside since the evening before. Awake, only because the machines and constant visits from the women kept them from finding rest by snuggling close to their precious charge. A most forbidden habit, which was born from their shared worry and intense stress regarding the youth's condition.

"He's using maryoku-, LOT'S of it! Annissina! Gwendal! You too father! We need to pump new energy into him!" the green haired medic cried.

"Wasn't the last time a disaster?" Gwendal raged, feeling powerless as he watched the form on the bed tremble.

Right in the middle of the night, the two brothers had sensed something off in their young charge's usual, near deathly state. First it was the slightly faster breathing pattern which Conrad had commented upon. Then it was the small tremble that came from a shift in demonic energy that had Gwendal take a closer look at their charge.

It was really when the king wet the bed, a clear sign that his bodily functions had resurfaced, that they both jumped from their seats to fetch all possible help.

"It might be our chance! We can't miss it! Gwendal! Günter! I'll need your powers, and make sure you do as you're told! Gisela, I'll need your maryoku reading abilities!" the red haired inventor barked her orders so fast and with such authority that no room for discussion was left.

"Should I do something? _Anything_?" the lion of Rutenberg pleaded, clearly begging for a role in saving his most precious person.

"Survey his physical condition. Make sure you have a good reading of his pulse and breathing pattern. You _must_ tell me out loud every change in him!" Gisela answered without missing a beat.

"Alright! I've got the machines ready!" Annissina immediately replied.

Gwendal and Günter were already wearing all necessary devices, and Conrad had moved so fast to Yuuri's side, to hold the frail wrist and sense his respiration, that Gisela wondered if he had mastered some form of teleportation abilities.

"Alright! Let's start! Conrad, what do you see?" Gisela asked as she closed her own eyes and took Yuuri's other hand into her own, concentrating so she could visualize the Maoh's maryoku.

"…blood…" the soldier replied in a small voice. It still startled all the room's occupants with the strength of a thunderclap.

Right before his wide, sleep deprived and horrified eyes, Conrad could see the pale skin of the one person he loved, more than anything upon the universe, bleed and rip. Gashes of unexplainable source broke the unresponsive body. And with a detachment born from shock and utter powerlessness, he remained unmoving as he felt blood spraying over his cheek just as a new violent rip tore the double black's flesh open, right at the top of a previously unmarred shoulder.

"What are you saying? I don't see anything!"

* * *

><p>When Yuuri reopened his eyes, he was being cradled by someone. He heard a voice, plaintive, as his body shook from an outside force. His whole being hurt beyond pain, if that made any sense. He managed a smile at his expanse.<p>

'Not making any sense anymore, Yuuri. Not that it's anything new…' he thought.

He was strangely calm, too. For someone who believed he was going to die. Or maybe he was dead already? Maybe it was the reason why he didn't care, for anything. However, his vision slowly cleared, his hearing improved, and his pain grew to levels one could not describe, even incoherently.

Huber was holding him. Crying and whispering apologies in a mantra.

Even after everything, all Yuuri wished was to hug the man. He just couldn't stand to see people in pain. He wanted to cry with him, and tell him not to at the same time. He wanted to assure the man that things would be alright. That he'd grow to, one day, be a better man; a good man; a loved man. But he couldn't.

'Are we alone? Is… everyone else… dead?' the double black mentally panicked at the idea. Had he so completely failed?

"YUURI!"

A shout in the distance. It sounded familiar too…

Then it appeared: the rumpled, scarred, bloody through bandages form of his godfather. Or at least, his younger, long haired version. He was crying too.

Yuuri also heard reprimands and the sound of many steps coming their way. For a second, he feared that the humans were coming back to finish the lot of them, but then he recognized the voice of Julia. Well… less her voice than her presence, because she was him, as he was her. And Julia didn't speak as she reached their crying forms. She was solemn and constricted at the same time.

"Yuuri… Yuuri…" Conrad joined his own mantra to match Huber's apologies.

"Captain…"

Multiple voices. One was undeniably Yosak. The other were known to Yuuri, but he couldn't place them until he saw a hand rest on Huber's shoulder.

'So everyone didn't die… I'm glad…' the double black sighed in relief, although the words couldn't pass his lips.

A hand caressed his cheek. It was Conrad. He was in a strange position, probably due to one of his arms being in a sling, and the fact that he was kneeling in the mud.

"Yuuri…" he whispered again.

And in the renewed weakening of his senses, he could swear that he saw another Conrad. The hair shorter, less wounded, but still rumpled, sleep deprived, panicked and sad. Gwendal was also here… not much better.

"C-Conr…a…d…" the double black started, this one word feeling like it took a life time to finally pass his lips. He only needed another bit of effort. "Gw-…Gwen…dal…" he pursued, a look of confusion crossing the younger version of Conrad.

"Gwendal isn't here, Yuuri…" Conrad managed, even as he chocked back the tears. He had to save his love… somehow. But Julia only looked sadly at them, frustrated too, as she took Yuuri's hand into her own, and felt only her own maryoku in a confusing moment.

"D-don't…" his fiancé ignored the words: of course Gwendal was here, and stern as ever!

"Don't what Yuuri?" The brown haired soldier asked. Julia gave him a look he only knew too well, so he didn't waste his breath in trying to keep his love from speaking… for the last time…

"…cry… D-don't… cry…" he finally managed to say, and of course such words only served to renew the waterworks on his knight's face.

'Please… smile… for me… Once more, Conrad, Gwendal… please…' but Yuuri's words went unheard, as consciousness escaped him once more, to slip into blissful oblivion.

* * *

><p>"…D-don't… cry…"<p>

"Yuuri?!" Conrad cried.

The feeble voice had definitely come from Yuuri. It startled all of the tent's occupants with a shock. The brown haired knight being so startled, that he even let his monarch's hand drop back into the mattress. Once contact was broken, Conrad stopped seeing the terrible wounds marring his charge's body.

He was not reassured by the disappearance though. As the pale and unresponsive form was just as terrible to look at.

Yuuri's eyes opened, just a slit, and just for a second the whole room had their hearts almost ready to jump in joy and relief. It was short lived however, as the lids didn't progress, and as the king returned to a suspiciously still position once the words had left him.

In a moment of dread and panic, the knight hurriedly went back to his charge. He returned his hands to where they previously stood, taking a moment to relieve in the fact that, the illusion of wounds and blood tearing apart his beloved Maoh's body, did not repeat itself. Another short lived experience, as his hands failed to sense his charge's life signs for a moment too long, to his liking.

"Sir Weller?" Gisela called authoritatively, worried with the lack of reation coming from the bed.

"H-his… He's…" the brown haired male started, unable to continue his words. He barely registered his brother coming over him and replacing his hands with urgency.

"His heart stopped!" was the General's yell of distress and anguish, as he realized that they had just lost their king.

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><p><strong>A.N.:<strong> Very depressing chapter! I had lots of inspiration for this one though! Finally some action! Gory action… but action nonetheless! I felt a bit guilty last time for uploading such a boring chapter after such a long wait, so here we go! And with another cliffhanger (gotta love those). Can you believe _I_ cried while imagining this scene? Now I feel pathetic, and I'm sure I didn't quite manage to convey the full extent of angst I wanted to pour into that scene…

Anyway, please comment! I know it's been a long time, but I'd love to know if you're still reading me!


	20. The return

**At your service**

**A.N.: **WOW!So many reviews!Thank you all! It got me really pumped up! I'm so happy!

I must admit that I long hesitated between keeping the alternate dimension, or dropping it after it had served its purpose. But since you all expressed your wishes to know how the "evil dimension" would react to the new set of events, I'll think of a way of including it somehow.

Just know that from now on the "normal" Shin Makoku is back on line! And will be the main stage for the next chapters, as opposite to the previous ones. However, due to your reviews full of hope, the other dimension will still appear. However, it WILL be _very_ depressing, and not quite as present.

**Disclaimer:** do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 20: The return.<strong>

**To "dimensional" Shin Makoku:**

Conrad sat there, kneeling in the mud, lost. His mind drew a long blank, as he witnessed the death of the person he had loved.

Yuuri, _his_ Yuuri! So sweet and gentle. A man who could be as nice as he could be authoritative, at times… At least, for a mere servant, he had been quite outspoken. That's what he _had_ been… but now he just lied there…

In the end, for how long had he known him? Their time had been so short, yet, so intense!

How long did he enjoy the privilege of being close, of being loved, by this man? And it wasn't only him: Gwendal too had experienced the short lived joy of being with the double black half-breed.

Why did it have to end this way? So terribly…

His eyes stung. The cuts on his face protested as salty waters ran over them, just as he starred at the limp form in the arms of the one responsible for his pain… Huber also cried, but he did not cry from the same intense pain the brown haired soldier now knew.

"Yuuri…" he whispered, even as he knew he would not be graced with an answer from the pale corpse.

Pure black hair, coated with blood and sweat, framed a listless face, the skin of Conrad's true love slowly turning an ashen gray. It made the half-breed want to puke. He wanted to retch as, the more he looked, the less Yuuri looked alive… As if he was growing ever farther from him…

Then, before his very astonished eyes, Yuuri's form shone, his body nearly disappearing behind a light blue glow. The other presents also looked at the strange sight with varying degrees of surprise.

Julia's heart nearly stopped as she felt the whirlwind of energy tense. Since she was blind, the work of maryoku was all she could sense, and soon her brain was confused by the impossibility of what she felt.

However, the other witnesses didn't _know_. And she could feel her own heart tear, as she sensed her dearest friend's own heart swell with a fragment of hope. A hope, that was doomed to being crushed mercilessly in the next instant.

For, deprived of the soul, the fabricated body, a fect unknown to all, could not hold for much longer. And it was before Conrad's own horrified gaze that the body of his love, all that remained of him, froze and turned to crystal.

Horror filled the soldier as, expecting to grasp at the transforming body, his touch immediately shattered the glass like matter. It shattered, and shattered again even more, every time the glass met with the slightest opposition. Until there was seemingly nothing left but deflated clothes, still lying in Huber's frozen arms, and Yuuri's body had literally turned into air, and nothingness.

It took a few seconds, before the reality of what had just transpired hit Conrad in full force. The half-breed captain then let himself fall to the deepest recesses of his anguish, letting out a cry that chilled the blood of all the other witnesses. He chocked on sobs that racked his body, making him spasm and drool uncontrollably as pure horror filled his entire being. The sight was so frightening that even Julia, who couldn't see it, did not dare approach her dear friend.

However, the soldier who slowly started to lack in air, quickly regained sufficient conscious to turn a frighteningly hateful and mad look to Huber. The demon lord himself could only stare wide eyed at the remaining clothing on his arms, his brain processing information at an extremely slow pace, as he was still trying to comprehend where it had all gone wrong.

No one had time to react as the brown haired male unleashed his rage and pain on the full blooded lord, literally leaping at the older man's throat.

"It YOUR Fault! All your goddam FAULT! How COULD YOU LET HIM DIE! Give HIM back! GIVE HIM BACK!" he yelled, crying at the top of his lungs with such strength the people of Big Shimaron probably had to cover their ears at the dreadful plea.

It took some time for the wounded men surrounding them, to finally separate the crazed soldier from the unresponsive Huber. And even then Conrad didn't seem to realize he was being carried away, his cries pleading for the love of his life, his light, to be returned never ceasing. Even after he was knocked unconscious by a weary Yosak, his voice still screamed in the witnesses of the incident's ears.

Gisela felt her own knees were too weak to support her body after the events that had just transpired. She saw lady Julia by her side, just as frail looking,… a strange sight. The blue haired woman was hunched down, despair evident in her body language. Tearing her eyes away, the green haired medic's stare then fell on the rumpled, torn and bloody clothes that once framed the body of a kind hearted man.

With a trembling hand, she reached to the discarded garments. There was a small bundle which attracted her attention to a small pocket. Inside she found a barely soiled item.

A kitten.

A very badly knitted "kitten". And she only knew that because a certain servant had been exhibiting the little trophy for days while proclaiming the fox like creation was, in fact, a Gwendal made kitten.

Now it had a few splotches of blood and a tear, due to the fact that it had sustained a blow from an arrow. It was also a bit muddy and wet, but not as much as the rest of the clothes.

Tears rolled down her face as she thought about long forgotten days of apparent peace, and realized that there was another person who would most likely break from the news…

* * *

><p><strong>Back to "normal" Shin Makoku:<strong>

There laid their king. His face expressing a peace that contrasted heavily with the rest of the tent's occupants.

Dead.

It was all that processed inside of Gwendal's brain as he froze over the motionless form of his king. His palm rested atop of a silent chest. No matter how he pressed, there was no "thrump", or any other tremble that would indicate that their monarch still lived.

The general felt himself pale.

What use was his constant restrain on his deeply buried emotions, if all he was bound to witness was… this? Why had he kept his feelings to himself? Wasn't it to preserve his loved ones?

What was his _use_? When he hadn't been able to save he who mattered most?

"C-Conra-!" Gisela started, but she didn't finish, as the knight had torn the limp form of the Maoh from Gwendal's frozen hands, to lay him on the hard ground, effectively ripping the machines away from Yuuri.

Gwendal watched, confused as his little brother laid the king down, his back flat on the earth. The second following, the light shirt they had left on their monarch was torn to shreds and the Lion of Rutenberg started a sort of "pumping" over Yuuri's chest.

"Wha-?" he started, but his redheaded childhood friend quickly came next to him, stopping him in his tracks.

"It's a reanimation technique his majesty imported from his home world. We didn't have time to include it into the basics of first aid for soldiers yet. But no matter, you've still got some energy, don't you? Hurry and give your king some! You can't reanimate an empty shell, no matter how hard you try." She quickly explained while pushing the stern general down where Conrad was, to untrained eyes, crushing the king's chest with repeated presses.

The older demon didn't need to be told twice, as he hurriedly took a pale hand in his, and poured as much energy as he could into the apparently dead body.

A dead body that used to hold the soul of the one he loved…

It felt like an eternity… An eternity in which he desperately tried to use his energy to summon his king back.

Conrad pumped the still chest. From time to time he would also push some air into deprived lungs. Had the situation not been so dire, they might have felt awkward with the sight of the brown haired soldier pressing his lips to their king, but if anything, right now, they wished awkwardness could finally return to their lives…

Gwendal remained feeling powerless as he didn't know the first thing about this "technique". All he could do was using his maryoku, to stimulate the stagnant remains of energy present within their monarch.

"YUURI! Yu~uri…!" Conrad cried as his arms started to tire, and he nearly failed his next pump.

The pain in his brother's voice was nearly too much to bear for the grey haired general, pushing him to double his efforts, and go beyond his own limits to try and wake their charge. He almost didn't notice how Gisela, Annissina and Günter silently joined him in his task.

'Please… Please wake up…' Gwendal prayed with all his might, whishing for nothing more than to once more see the deep pure black pools of the king's eyes, to hear his joyful voice whenever he allowed him to _finally_ leave his study, to feel the softness of is hair as he caressed the strands, unbeknown to the double black, whenever he took a rest on his favorite couch, where he could escape everything…

"Yuuri…" he whispered the name, his voice trembling at the prospect of never hearing the name spoken again without the pain of this moment tainting it.

It was like a signal. For the second the name had passed the General's lips, he felt a nearly imperceptible tightening of the hand he held. It could have easily been missed, but not by the two, who so intently wished for Yuuri's life to be returned.

Conrad and Gwendal both experienced the same feeling of having their hearts stop and bounce back to life again at the same time, as Yuuri suddenly shuddered and coughed. It forced the brown clad soldier to stop in his actions, taking back his hands as if they had been touching lava.

Gisela immediately overtook commandment, as she overlooked the condition of their monarch, while he still seemed too occupied with chocking on air, to understand what was happening around him.

"W-what's…?" Yuuri started, and it was the sweetest sound Gwendal had ever heard, taking first place over the "hungry kitten" one.

"Yuuri! Oh, Yu~uri…" Conrad sighed in relief as he slumped bonelessly against the bed. Days of worry, waiting and sleepless nights caught up to him all at the same time, making the poor knight almost pass out from shock.

Gwendal was also tired, but he didn't dare let go of the ever present tension like his brother. For whatever would follow would need him awake and aware, as always. Besides, he wanted to see the king up and about, _before_ he allowed himself even a simple sigh of relief.

The General was surprised when Gisela motioned for him to take the Maoh in his arms. He still did: as if he'd miss up on such a thing!

"Keep him in a semi-sitting position, be careful of his head: we don't know how much this prolonged inactivity affected him." She ordered as Gwendal followed the instructions. If he was suspicious about the choice of person to do this, he did not express it.

Instead, the grey haired male took the opportunity to cradle the young double black and gently direct his pale face towards him. The king was slowly regaining his usual tanned complexion, he noted appreciatively. Yuuri also stopped coughing and now breathed more evenly.

Gwendal swallowed thickly as the two pools of black ink that were the Maoh's eyes opened again, and immediately landed on him. They starred intensely at him, boring into his very soul as he met them with his own dark blue eyes.

"Gwendal…" Yuuri started, his voice was rough, but also…sweet? And happy.

The way the double black said his name had the older demon shudder. He almost felt guilty, that he was the one given the privilege of being the first to witness the monarch's return from the dead.

"W-why… are you here?" the king asked next, the emotion behind it unreadable, somehow a mix of confusion, hope, and a tinge of something else that Gwendal couldn't fathom.

'Well, that hurt a little…' the general thought.

"Why _wouldn't_ I be there? Do you even realize how long you've been out? Almost dying… like that…" he said, his throat constricting at the memory of the double black's lifeless body.

"You… worry too damn much!" the black haired male laughed, obviously trying to lighten the depressing mood that surrounded him, as he always did; and completely disregarding how well deserved his General's worry had been, as usual.

There was a moment then, where his king laid his right hand over his General's chest, clutching the cloth here. Slowly, Gwendal could feel the pressure of the double black's weight receding, as he tried to rise. The blue eyed male felt his mouth drying as Yuuri did the strangest thing by approaching his face, ever so slowly, close to his own. The monarch's dark eyes so mesmerizing, that he completely forgot himself in this instant. His lips moved, unable to form coherent words, but desperately trying to say _something_, anything to prove that he wasn't given some sort of strange hallucination, like his king trying to… do something,- that he definitely never did before!

"I... worried about all the paperwork you left behind never getting filled… As Maoh… you should be a little more responsible…" the stern General finally said, almost instantly slapping himself for…. Well,… _being_ himself…

"Yeah-!" Yuuri started, his voice soft and velvety, seductive even, althought Gwendal guessed it might have just been his own tired mind playing tricks on him. However, the double black immediately stopped himself.

As instantly, the black haired male let his whole weight fall back down, a wild look taking over his fine features. Gwendal was just as surprised by the sudden change. His arms held fast by reflex, before his brain could even register his sense of… disappointment?

'Stupid Gwendal, what were you expecting _exactly_?' the General mentally slapped himself a second time, with extra force.

"M-Maoh? Paperwork…?" the youth asked, confused.

For a moment Gwendal panicked: had something damaged his king's memory? He wasn't the only one looking confused, for he also saw Gisela and Annissina do a double take at the confused male. And Conrad was desperately trying to regain his senses while Günter was still wailing in relief about their charge's survival.

"What's wrong, your majesty?" the green haired medic immediately asked, as she left the medical supplies she had been preparing, to go next to the kneeling pair.

"Gisela? W-wait! You're… You're _Gwendal_, aren't you?" Yuuri suddenly exclaimed, looking at the man holding him with renewed surprise… and maybe a sort of _joy_.

"Who else could I be?" the General asked confusedly, as his charge's traits were a mix of happiness mixed with a tinge of confused sadness.

"I mean, you're _my_ Gwendal! Right?" the double black added as if the statement made any sense.

"W-what!" the blue eyed demon chocked on a fierce blush, that suddenly grew all over his face.

"Your soul was sent in an alternate dimension, your majesty. However, you have now returned to your original body. So… yes, I would assume that, _this_ is _your_ Gwendal." Annissina explained with an amused smile, as she emphasized her words with sharp pointing motions that almost took out the General's eye.

It seemed the words dawned understanding over the king. Soon, the male relaxed again, a small blush spreading over his cheeks as he realized his own words. He looked a bit around the room, taking in his surroundings, until his gaze fell upon his dear knight.

Yuuri almost panicked at the sight: Conrad was slumped against what he supposed was a bed of some sort, his gaze weary, his clothes rumpled, his short hair disorderly, and he was paler than he had ever been, only enhanced by the large pockets under his brown eyes, giving the soldier an aged kind of look. As he turned back to Gwendal, he noticed that the General looked like he had gained a good hundred years as well- he even had the start of a BEARD! Although that looked kind of sexy- THAT WAS NOT THE POINT!

"Wha! You two look absolutely _horrible_! Did someone _die_?!" Yuuri immediately exclaimed, rising up completely from Gwendal's arms, sitting effortlessly on his own, which had Annissina slip another peeved smile, and Gisela have a small panick at seeing the Maoh getting up so fast, so soon.

"You nearly did, in fact." Gisela simply pointed out, as she approached the king with a poisonous looking concoction in hand and an authoritative look.

"Err… I think they both need it more than I do…" the double black vainly tried to push back the offered deadly looking drink.

"They need rest. And so do you. Now that you're fine, they should be able to get some. But first, I have to make sure your maryoku is stable again. This drink will ensue that you don't have any sudden drop in energy. It'll also make you sleep, though." She calmly explained, while pressing the glass against her monarch's cheek insistently.

"Do not worry, your majesty. We'll look after you and those two." Günter, who had somehow stopped his crying, assured with a gentle smile.

Seeing no escape, Yuuri accepted the proffered poison, choking on the disgustingly thick contents, before slumping a little on himself. He felt unexplainably tired. Somehow, the memories mixed themselves with confusing feelings, until everything became fuzzy and he slipped into unconsciousness, barely ten seconds after swallowing the last drop of the horrible mixture.

Gwendal caught the Maoh in his arms once more, as the youth fell asleep, leaving the clay cup to roll on the ground. Gisela immediately handed him another dose of a different medicine.

"You should follow his example." She simply said.

"And what do you intend to do once we're all out cold on the ground?" he asked dubiously, raising an eyebrow at his friend's daughter's expanse.

"Then get on the bed before! Geez! Do I have to tell you even the most obvious things?!" She dramatically sighed.

"Then I'll just return to my own accommodations." He simply answered, as he rose up and carried the sleeping king near the bed. That was when he remembered something…

"You should probably take him with you. And wash him a little, unless you're too tired to do it. In which case, I suppose we could take care of it." Annissina sighed as she eyed the soiled sheets.

"I-I could-!" Günter never finished his sentence as he passed out from blood loss before the thought even finished circling around in his mind.

"Cleaning up would probably also do us some good…" Gwendal reluctantly agreed, motioning for his brother to follow. "That way you can freshen up those sheets." He added to his childhood friend, as he suspected she had some sort of unspoken evil scheme running in her head at the moment.

"Oh, for the love of Shinou! Did you really _think_ that we were all oblivious to what you two were doing while you thought no one would look? I don't think another night of you two snuggling up to him will matter!" the green haired medic sighed, exasperated with the men's stupidity.

"But-!" Conrad was next in trying to protest, now back to being awake and aware as he realized his misstep had been discovered. His knees were still weak and his arms ached, though.

"Don't worry. With the dose I gave him, he'll be sleeping tomorrow away. So he won't even know, just like the dozen previous times!" She added to cut short on the knight's protests. The fact that she planned on giving them double the same dose going unspoken, as was expected when you planned evil!

With that, the king carrying General and the knight were promptly kicked out of the tent, so they would get on with their attributed task. Yosak (Y: you forgot about me, DIDN'T YOU?) was also asked to accompany the three, just in case they suddenly fell all asleep while washing up.

In this moment, all hoped to finally be able to return to how it always had been... or maybe not.

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><p><strong>A.N.:<strong> And here! It's a bit of another transition chapter, hopefully a little more interesting due to the angst at the start. Quick update because it's the weekend, and due to terrible weather I didn't feel like doing anything else!

There might be a few mistakes and confusing moments, because I don't proof read my chapter quite as many times as I did before. Please tell me if you spot inconsistencies, or if a sentence really didn't make any sense to you, so I can understand what doesn't work and do my best at making the next chapters better than the previous ones!

Action's been going really fast paced recently, I hope you don't feel put out by it! I might try to slow down in the chapters to follow, to put in a bit more of description parts which I feel have been receding compared to the first few chapters.

Now, will Yuuri realize what his own feelings towards the people of his world are? Will we get answers? How will our hero assume the transition between worlds? Is the side dimension doomed to go down the dark path of pain and depression?

All answers will come in the next few chapters.

Now… Comment! (Did I mention how tremendously happy I was at the number of comments the last chapter brought?)


	21. To be home again

**At your service**

**A.N.: **Thanks for the reviews! There were so many! I also thank the people who went through all the trouble of reviewing multiple chapters as they just discovered the story! I was so surprised, it took me a moment to understand I had to first look at the chapter's number and title.

By the way, I'm surprised Yuuram fans are reading this XD, he definitely doesn't get much love in there! Personally, I don't go for Yuuram fics, not because I don't like Wolfram, but mostly because I prefer stories which depict less canon couples. I don't know… it's just the way I work :). I rarely go for the popular things!

**Disclaimer:** do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 21: To be home again<strong>

When Yuuri woke again, he could feel the mattress underneath him shake. He wasn't scarred of falling off, however. For he was quite tightly held by two pairs of strong arms, and while he was near suffocating from how the two very male bodies squeezed him; he felt a strange sense of calm at the same time.

Yet, when the one at his right decided to squeeze him, with strength enough to nearly burst his inside out and be considered an attempt at his life, the double black decided it was time he fought to get out of the vice grip. It took quite an effort to get himself in a sitting position when he was still a bit groggy with whatever strange potion Gisela had given him, but he still managed.

He realized that we was in some sort of carriage, except the seats had been taken out to be replaced with a few comfy mattresses put one over the other. Or at least he guessed, because he was high up enough to nearly knock his head on the wooden ceiling, and the mattress felt _very_ lax.

The Maoh threw a very ineffective death glare at Conrad who settled for squeezing his hip bones: less painful than his middle, but still annoying. He nearly punched the sleeping soldier, when he suddenly realized that, this was _his_ Conrad.

He sighed with a relief that shook his whole body.

He was back. Finally!

And yet… For some reason he also felt a bit empty… After all, everything was different here…

He felt something tumble into his lap. It was a small misshapen black animal made of soft wool. He smiled sadly as he saw the little plushy. It was black, so it was probably for him. He'd have to ask the General what type of animal that was though… It kind of reminded him of the thing the other Gwendal had given him, just black in color, instead of mostly orange.

He glanced at his other side, then. Gwendal was securing him there, growling sleepily as Conrad's action slightly disturbed his own grip. The General was still rumpled, with dark bags under his eyes and long stubble marred his cheeks still. Conrad on the other hand seemed much better than when he had last seen him, as he slept blissfully unaware at his side.

With what he had lived in the other dimension, the scene seemed so normal, that he completely forgot how strange it was for it to happen _here_. So he lazily stroked his General's stubbly cheek, as he tried to put some order into his thoughts.

He was back. Back in Shin Makoku, where he was a king, with responsibilities, with the capacity to keep war at bay, who worked so that tragedies, like the one he had recently been part of, never happened again. There was something else. He was sure that he was forgetting some important matter… something that had bothered him back in the other dimension. Something _aside_ Geigen Huber…

"Yo!" Yosak's voice surprised Yuuri out of his trance. He was looking amusedly at the king from the right side window. Apparently, he had his horse follow the carriage's speed so he could speak with his king as if he was right at his side.

"Yosak! Didn't see you there… I guess you're more skilled than the other one…" he whispered the last part, unconsciously switching from playing with Gwendal's stubble to petting the short soft hair of his faithful knight.

Yosak took some time to stare intently at his monarch, seemingly bothered with something that escaped Yuuri completely.

"You look much better now. Those two were a real hassle while you were gone though. Just look at them: not a care in the world, apart for you! Although, _this_ should probably stay in between us. Unless, you want your fiancé to burn every inflammable material within the castle, and some more." The spy smirked mischievously, making exaggerate gestures to prove his point. The way the double black was so innocently (to his eyes) petting his captain, was just too great an occasion to pass up on teasing his young master.

However, the sentence had Yuuri freeze on the spot.

Wolfram.

He _knew_ he had forgotten _something_!

Wolfram was his _fiancé_ here… And he had made right on his infidelity claims in another world… With his _two brothers_ doppelgangers, no less!

'Oh, God! Shinou! Any sort of supernatural powers! Help. Me!' the double black internally panicked as thousands of scenarios involving Wolfram finding out played in his brain.

"I'm dead, am I not?" he pitifully whimpered, making the carrot headed spy back pedal a bit.

"Oh, come on! I'm joking! He wasn't even there for most of the time… Plus, those two were so worried it would have been way too cruel to get them off of you! And it's not like you did something _really bad_ in that other world, right? Everyone knows you wouldn't cheat on the little lord even if you were forced into it! All except von Biefield, that is! And those two really just guarded you, not like you slept with them or any…thing…?" the spy went on, each word making Yuuri hunch over a little more, until he had retracted into a little ball, his ears suspiciously red.

Panicking a little at the young man's reaction, Yosak had his horse and the carriage stop for a bit. He made a little gesture in Yuuri's direction, silently asking him to join him. It attracted the attention of the rest of the escort, but when they saw Yuuri work himself out of his double embrace and out on the road, it had Gisela immediately come to their side.

"Is everything alright, your majesty?" she quickly enquired.

"He's fine, just needs a bit of fresh air. Isn't that right, bocchan?" the redhead said calmly, his smile not betraying the slightest hint of his internal turmoil.

"Right. I'm alright Gisela, sorry for worrying you. I just feel like I've been in bed for way too long!" the Maoh smiled, making the half-breed spy's chest swell in pride at how good the young master had become in hiding his own feelings. All thanks to _his_ training (he _did_ need some, as he tended to always escape the castle)!

'Ahh~! They grow up so fast!' Yosak thought, a small tear almost making it to his eye.

"Very well… Do you want to ride Ao?" the green haired medic asked, knowing that the king's horse was probably the safest for him to ride. The beast was intelligent, and just as diligent in trying to keep his charge safe as most of their guards were!

"Of course." Was the king's simple answer, and almost immediately the horse was trotting their way, as if he had heard his master's call.

"So… You didn't do anything,… right?" the redhead asked once they were on the move again. He kept his own horse close to Ao, so that they could speak without everyone hearing them.

"I wouldn't say I did nothing but- Where are we going anyway?" Yuuri immediately avoided the matter with another question which now had him bothered.

"Back to Blood Pledge castle. We sent a message about what happened yesterday to the castle, just so they didn't get too surprised when we show up! And don't go thinkin' that you can keep me in the dark!" the spy quickly complained, not allowing the double black to outplay him.

"What about that "hell's Gate", or Tartar-sauce, or whatever? It's not closed yet, right?" Yuuri answered, still avoiding the spy's question. He inwardly shuddered at the prospect of facing the _thing_ and all the pain it had caused him.

"Seeing how well it ended the last time, his _Grace_ is supposedly searching for a better way to seal that thing's powers. Whatever they are. Last we heard of him, he told us you were trapped in some sort of alternate dimension, again, whatever that is, and that was why we couldn't bring your body back to the castle earlier. I suppose that's _where_ **something **happened, right?" Yosak insisted, intent on having his answers, no matter how long it could take.

Yuuri sighed; feeling defeated, as he realized he was not yet fit to have a battle of words against an information gathering professional.

"Yeah, the Shinou of that other world did say something similar…" Yuuri started, leaving the spy to process this first bit.

"Was the other world alike this one?" Yosak then asked.

"It was more like the time when I was sent to the past. Except… well, I guess it wasn't really the past. And no one knew me." He started, and seeing the listening look Yosak was sporting, he guessed that he would have to say more than just this.

So Yuuri talked. He told his spy friend how he realized he had been in deep shit when the castle guards didn't recognize him. How Conrad first gave him the cold shoulder. How he became a servant. He told the spy vaguely that he had had a few "misfortunes" involving a very out of character Huber and Gwendal. He carefully avoided the whole "being accidentally proposed to", and the "having two fiancés that just so happened to be very alike Gwendal and Conrad of the past", then the "I've slep- HAD SEX with two very manly men, AT THE SAME TIME".

Nope.

Not a word of such was delivered to the spy. Instead, he directly forwarded to him getting the shit beaten out of Huber, and then joining his squad, in hopes of stopping the man from doing what he had done in this dimension.

"And let me guess: you didn't manage to stop him and foolishly threw yourself in harm's way." The spy stated, a very annoyed tinge tainting his usual playful tone.

"Hmm…" Yuuri acquiesced timidly, blushing and lowering his face in shame.

"I swear! Even if it ended up making you come back here. _Somehow_. Did you truly need to get yourself nearly killed! I can't even _imagine_ what would have become of this place if you had truly died! The Captain would have committed _suicide_! I hope you realize that!" the redhead fiercely scolded, completely forgetting to ask about the gapping plot hole, right in the middle of his monarch's story.

The rest of the day was spent with the spy commenting on the story he had been told. Sometimes getting angry at Yuuri's impossibly rash actions, and sometimes crackling as he imagined his demon king in a maid uniform, and Yuuri blushing while he vehemently defended the shattered remains of his dignity, pointing out how terrible Yosak's doppelganger had been with his stealth techniques. They also had many a laugh at Conrad's expanse.

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><p>Three days later, the gates of Blood Pledge Castle once more parted for the Maoh. Yuuri was positively beaming at the sight of his welcoming citizen and smiling guards. He happily greeted anyone coming near, even as he was, once more, faithfully guarded.<p>

Conrad and Gwendal flanked his sides on their own horses, vainly trying to keep their eyes from staying on their charge or each other for too long, as they had suffered the great shame of waking up hugging each other, without their monarch in the middle. When they had realized that they had been caught red-handed by Yuuri, they had been sure a great sense of awkwardness would befall them.

Yet, only the two older males seemed self-conscious. Yuuri was completely oblivious to their plight, not even once commenting on the position he had found himself in that morning, only saying that they must both have been very tired, as they slept in for quite some time. The situation had Gisela and Annissina seethe for some reason, as they glared daggers at the king's back, as if they resented his complete lack of reaction. Eyes were also on Yosak, who seemed to be on the Maoh's good side during the recent days.

"Yuuri!" Wolfram called from the Castle entrance once his fiancé had dismounted. Greta was by his side, looking both very nervous and extremely excited.

The moment Yuuri made a sign to show that he had heard him (and by definition: would come right over), his daughter made a bee line for him at inhuman speed, literally jumping the last two meters distance between them to throw herself into his arms.

"YUURI! I was so worried! Papa Wolf couldn't even explain what had happened correctly!" she desperately cried into his chest as the king had easily caught her flying form (he was getting used to this mostly because of Günter).

"I'm fine Greta! And a princess shouldn't throw herself at people like that you know!" the double black teased, making Greta look up to him with a pout and a dubious brow.

"She completely totaled the baseball court during your time away too! She was so angry she broke five bats just by hitting the balls too hard, too many times…" Wolfram added, although he was strangely calm as he approached the two.

"That's IT! That's my daughter!" Yuuri cried happily as he then proceeded in giving the princess a manly one armed hug, his other hand punching the air victoriously, the young adolescent princess imitating the pose with a wide smile.

He had long abandoned the idea of making his daughter into a little princess, like those in the fairy tales. It's not that he wouldn't have wanted her to be, because that's definitely how he had first imagined and wanted her to grow! However, it was not Greta's wish, and so he never pushed the issue, only remembering too well how annoyed he had come to be of his mother's way of trying to dress him up as a girl. Even if he loved her, her addiction to fantasies and frilly dresses had Yuuri run away from his dear mother many a times, and he certainly didn't want Greta to give him the same treatment!

"You look well…" Wolfram spoke once more.

It was then that Yuuri started to get _really_ worried: Wolfram was too calm! He didn't throw a fit, didn't try to strangle him, he didn't even call him a cheater!

Sensing that something was amiss, he quickly took his fiancé's hand into his and lowered himself a bit to be at his height.

"Wolf? Is something the matter?" He asked worriedly, but his tone only seemed to worsen the blond male's mood.

"Don't get worried about me, you wimp!" he suddenly yelled, slapping the double black's hand off f his own. "You nearly died! And it was my fault…" he whispered, while facing the ground.

"It wasn-!" Yuuri immediately tried to refute the words, but Wolfram cut him off, his hand shutting the Maoh's usually rambling mouth.

"It's fine. I'm not a child you need to hide away from his mistakes! Anyway, ou should all get back inside." The blond listlessly commented.

"Wolf…" the king whispered after the departing blue clad back.

"He was really worried, you know. Papa Wolf's been spending his days trying to help Muramura in his researches. But I think he mostly needed to think about stuff…" Greta explained, her features also becoming sad at the poor display.

Gwendal, Conrad, Yosak and Gisela joined them, also worried by the lack of ear piercing accusations coming from the bratty lord's mouth. The others who had accompanied the Maoh being otherwise occupied with dismantling Annissina's creations, under her strict directives.

"Is everything alright? The little brat didn't seem like his usual self…" the orange haired spy commented as they followed after said lord brat.

"Hmmm…. Maybe he'll talk about it when we're alone. But I suppose I worried him too…" Yuuri answered without looking at the spy.

Many soldiers and maids warmly greeted their monarch as the group went through the courtyard. The three usual maids looking especially relieved. And Yuuri smiled back with more warmth than ever, the kind of show that usually had Wolfram go into a fit. Yet, the blond didn't react, just looked at the scene blankly, further worrying his two brothers.

"Your majesty. It's a pleasure to see you returned to us, the whole country was worried." A voice calmly commented, tearing Yuuri away from his greeting spree.

The monarch's immediate reaction was to tense at the sound, which surprised his two guardians, but not Yosak who smiled apologetically at the newcomer, trying to reassure the man who was obviously confused.

"Huber!" the Maoh cried in surprise, taking a moment to rearrange his thoughts as he was faced with a completely different facet of the man he had clashed against, back in the alternate dimension.

Nicolas watched worriedly as the king seemed a bit disapproving of her dear husband. She had Eru pressed to her breast while the whole courtyard fell into silence while the two men stared at each other. The moment just had every one freeze because of its strangeness.

Huber was obviously worried and confused by the insistent glare, same went for most of the other witnesses to this moment. Except for Yosak, who looked like he was desperately trying to keep himself from laughing, and Yuuri who looked at Huber as if he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

It was then that the Great Sage made his appearance, coming from inside the castle to greet the king who took way too long to get to him.

He went nearly completely ignored however, as at the same moment, their monarch seemed to come to a decision, which had Huber look somewhat expectant.

It took naught but an instant.

It was all the more surprising as it was the most unexpected, _unbelievable_ thing that had _ever_ been done by their king! That in itself was quite a feat!

One moment Yuuri was having a staring match with his confused and very unwilling victim. The next….

The next Huber found himself with an armful of his king, as the double black pulled him down and passionately kissed the grey haired soldier! The action had every single person present have their jaws hit the floor, although Yosak did so while also choking on his laugh, which in turn looked like he was drowning with his own spit.

"I'm so glad you're as you are now!" Yuuri happily declared, while crying a little, once his mouth had disengaged from the poor, innocent man. "Eh?" he then exclaimed as Huber fainted to the ground the second the double black withdrew his hands from his victim.

Nicolas looked at his king as if he had grown a second head at first, before she started to look… excited? She also grew a little red in the face as unknown thoughts suddenly seemed to circle in her mind, while completely ignoring the very unconscious state her husband was in.

Conrad and Gwendal were gapping fishes out of the water, as hell started to break lose on the castle grounds. Gisela and Murata were playing terrible scenarios about their monarch's receiving some sort of strange brain damage from being subjected to Tartarus. Yosak still laughed as he made his way to his king. Greta was looking at her father in shock, her hand in front of her mouth, her eyes wide and… sparkly? Yuuri looked suddenly ashamed as he realized what he had just done. And the rest of the castle went into a turmoil.

"D-didn't think you'd really go _that_ far!" Yosak managed to let out between to shakes of his frame, as he couldn't seem to stop laughing.

"Hmm…" Yuuri started, he licked his lips pensively as he worked hard to make the heat in his face recede. "Ah! Tastes a bit like licorice…" he commented with some surprise, which had Yosak try to make a dubious expression.

"You didn't put your tongue in… right?" the spy asked, a bit shocked at his monarch's new found boldness.

"What? No, I didn't!" he cried, but he was suddenly torn away from Yosak's teasing as a low growl emanated from behind.

Yuuri turned around, finding Wolfram's form shaking, but the green eyes still facing the ground, efficiently hiding his expression.

"Y-You…" the blond prince started, making Yuuri back off slightly. "Y-YOU CHEATER!" he suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs.

Wolfram immediately started charging a fireball into his hand as his fiancé realized that he had to _run, NOW_! And for the hour that followed the Maoh ran around the courtyard, avoiding fireballs, but not daring getting inside the castle from fear of Wolfram burning everything to the ground.

But far from being angry of terrified, Yuuri was happy. He smiled while he ran, encouraged by soldiers and maids who cheered the two on their mad race. He laughed as Conrad saved him in-extremis from an incoming fire lion, carrying him princess style. He was ecstatic as Gwendal rubbed his temples while using his maryoku to keep Wolfram from hitting the excited spectators.

Everything was back to normal, if just for this one instant, it was all Yuuri needed to feel at home once more, even if he knew that **things would have to change**.

He had decided so during the three days it took to reach Blood Pledge Castle. Because it was only fair. Because it was time that he took things in hand.

But for now, it was good to be back home!

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><p><strong>A.N.:<strong> Aaaaaand, another chapter! At first I didn't really know how to finish this one. That's when I remembered something I had written in the previous chapters regarding Yuuri's thoughts on Huber (Although I didn't check to be sure it was indeed here). Also, so far, I've managed to keep my chapters around eight pages long, so I was put off when I saw how short it looked before the Huber incident XD.

I hope you enjoyed my attempt at making a funny ending for this chapter, after all the angst that was in the previous ones!

Comment!


	22. It's not a dream!

**At your service**

**A.N.: **Hello! Can you believe I actually have reviews that don't fit in my message box? I'm so happy! Thank you all. This chapter was a bit long to come, simply because I went on a short vacation (thought I could update right before leaving but then couldn't make it).

I was asked about Huber crying in the previous chapters. After reading it again, it's true that it's hard to understand why. The fact is: I wanted to show Huber in a moment of realization, confronted to his mistakes. He's not really crying over "Yuuri the person" (at east I didn't intend to make it look like he did). What he's doing has more to do with self pity, because he is confronted with the harsh truth: he, who thought himself great and above all else, was in fact a fool who blindly led his men to certain death, maybe even his own, and all that saved him was the one he would have gladly sacrificed and didn't care about. He's a trained man and a great commandant, probably promised to great things at the time, and by being a child who wanted to do better than his rival, he went head first into a trap that he would most certainly have seen miles away if he had just stopped to think two minutes about it rationally. He realizes that he's lost it all, all that he was so proud of, his nobility and most of the men he had come to be a model for, all for a childish caprice.

**Disclaimer:** do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 22: It's not a dream!<strong>

**Back to other dimension:**

"I shall accept my punishment."

Huber, for once, didn't look proud, as he stood before her majesty. The news of his rash actions, and ultimate failure, had been taken extremely badly. Many men in his squad had died, and among them were the sons of powerful nobles.

Plus, the great number of wounded had nearly killed Lady Julia, as she exhausted herself while healing them. Gisela even stated that one more man to save, and she wouldn't have made it back. And the only reason why there wasn't one more to save, was, as they heard it, all thanks to Yuuri's sacrifice, which had dispersed the human forces, but had ultimately been the end of him.

"Then you will be exiled to the human lands, until you have recovered the Mateki, our lost relic. You're a good element Hubert, so we decided to give you a chance at redemption, do not waste it!" Stoffel proclaimed, ending the trial of Geigen Hubert.

The Maoh herself did not say a word on the matter. Before her stood a man who had taken part in destroying two of her sons happiness, she simply could not find it in herself to speak reasonably, as a Maoh, when her motherly instinct were screaming at her to strangle the noble.

Gwendal wasn't here to preside over the trial either. And Conrad had been confined to the medical wing for days now, with an equally wonded Yosak to watch over him.

Cecile nearly cried again as she remembered how her first son had taken the news.

She had prepared for anger, tears, any sort of raging fit; but not the stoned silence in which he had fallen. She couldn't even try to comfort him in the state he was…

Gwendal had simply received the last remnant of his fiancé, the few things that had remained after the unexplainable destruction of his body, in silence. He had heard the explanation about the unfortunate events of Rutemberg, along with his mother, as he had just returned from his own battles. He had taken the knitted kitten Gisela had kept for him, still bloody and slightly dirty. All along, the lord never uttered a single word, and he still hadn't, even nearly a week after the events.

As his mother, Cecile knew her son wasn't one to show how he felt before others. But it looked like it had somehow conflicted with the terrible news, and now the man was just… Blank.

She had seen Conrad, her strong willed son, crying and shouting in despair as he remembered the death of his love. The brown haired male had been angry at Huber, angry at humans and demons alike, angry even at Julia and Gisela for not being able to help Yuuri. _That_ had been a reaction, and Cecile knew how to handle the greater part of it with a hug and a motherly bosom to cry into. But she could not do so with Gwendal.

Her first baby had had a taste of happiness during these dark times, and now that the dark cloud of war was finally about to clear, he had lost it all. He was broken. He was dead from the inside. No more than an empty shell, while his soul had departed into the dark pit of despair.

Cecile knew of pain: she was a queen and had lost three husbands which she had dearly loved. With time, her two babies will slowly heal, like she had been forced to, and if they're lucky and willing to accept it, they might find someone to help with that healing. At least, she hoped it would come to that…

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><p>"Lady von Christ?" Ulrike called hesitantly as the green haired medic was making her way determinedly towards her, almost missing the sight of Julia von Wincott trailing behind her.<p>

"Original Maiden, our apologies for this unannounced visit." Julia apologized as she and Gisela came to a stop to bow down before the pale haired Maiden.

"I do not mind your companionship, Miladies. I am just surprised by your troubled looks. Do you need the temple to aid with the injured?" Ulrike politely replied, knowing full well that this wasn't the reason why the two noble women were here, but still ignoring the right purpose for their sudden visit at the early hours of morning.

"I'm sorry, great priestess. It is not why we're here… Actually, we've been witnesses to strange things, and we were wondering if you could possibly help answering our questions about them." Gisela explained, although she seemed more than convinced that Ulrike could answer her questions.

"Of course. May I enquire about these 'strange things'? Although, we would most certainly discuss the matter better, in a friendlier setting." She agreed before leading the two ladies to a more recluse part of the temple where they would be able to speak at ease.

"It is less about _things_, than it is about _someone_. Do you remember Yuuri? You know, the double black half-breed who recently came to the castle. I heard he came to you not long after his first arrival at the castle." The green haired medic stated confidently, as she had had the information from a very unwilling orange haired spy.

"Ah. This… might need some time… What do you feel like eating for supper?" the maiden sighed as she prepared for a _very long_ day.

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><p><strong>Back to original dimension:<strong>

"I shall accept my punishment."

Hubert was shacking, as he nearly wiped the floor before his cousin as he bowed down as much as he could. For some, completely unknown reason, the Maoh had kissed him, and ever since, he received the cold glares of 90% of the castle residents. The only ones, who didn't seem to do so, were his wife and the king's daughter, who seemed to discuss the matter in hushed tones, and _that_ bothered _him_ more than the rest.

He was only glad that Wolfram had once more retreated into his, most unusual, silence.

"There's no punishment for me to bestow upon you…" Gwendal simply answered.

'Except for my superduper death glare of DEATH, you stupid, dirty bit of _nothing!_' the lord mentally added as he sent another beam of said glare at his cousin, which had the man literally whimpering as he kept kneeling before him.

The excitement that had followed their king's 'crazy fit' had finally receded a few hours ago, and they had listened to the Great Sage's discoveries and explanation about what had possibly happened to their king. However, the explanation was slowly degenerating into heated debate, as their Maoh seemed deeply intent on refuting it.

"It was all a dream?" Yuuri asked in the most disbelieving tone he could muster.

"I did not put that in such simple terms, but yes. What you experienced is close enough to a dream." Murata replied calmly, he had searched, he had narrowed down all the possibilities to find this, and so, he had no doubt.

"But I! I was _there_! It felt real! I felt pain, and people's maryoku, and plea-! A dream can't emulate all those things!" the Maoh finished decidedly, cutting himself short as he realized he almost let something embarrassing slip by, he was no longer of age to let this sort of thing happen, not as a king at least.

"Tartarus is mainly a condensed cloud of energy. It's maryoku, gathered in a single point, and so dense that the works I've gone through even considered it becoming alive and sentient by itself. Maryoku is the energy of life, that which courses through each demon, but not just. Tartarus is so powerful, so condensed; that used by the wrong hands, it could have the power of a thousand of nuclear bombs. It has the power of creating entire worlds that do not respond to our conventions or logic. To make the impossible become possible while yet remaining unattainable. Damn, Shibuya, if you read and studied all I did on the matter, you can positively say that logic flew out of the window and coherent thoughts went after it! By all means, what you experienced cannot be logically, in anyway, linked to this universe, and as such, does not exist. The maryoku within this part of Tartarus simply came into contact with the people present then, and created an imaginary alternate based on their feelings and memories. The proof is that the people you met were doppelgangers of those here!" Murata repeated, still not making much sense to everyone present, apart for the fact the he did not believe the 'alternate dimension' their king claimed to have been sent to, was a real place, and more a projection made by using the memories of those who had been near their king.

"Why was I sent there then? And how come Hubert was in there? He wasn't by my side when it all happened! And _you_ weren't there!" the Maoh tried once more.

"You have more maryoku than anyone else here, naturally, it would respond to you. That aside, you _did_ state that the people you met there quickly warmed up to you, 'some seemed to feel like we had already met', _you_ said that. It's clear that in times of war, the situation you described is not logical: people who can expect spies at every corners don't just accept a complete stranger into the Castle! Basically, this world was born from the memories and feelings of the people who were with you at the time. Hubert was there probably because he caused a great emotional impact on Gwendal and Conrad who were both closest to you. Wolfram wasn't very present because I thought it safest if he returned to the castle to take care of the politics while you were officially on a mission. Meaning: he spent very little time by your side and neither was I, because I was trying to understand all that!" The Great sage once more lengthily refuted Yuuri's reasons.

"But then why do I-… Why do I feel like I'm still linked to this world…" the king admitted in a whisper, a confession which alarmed his guardians greatly. But as he thought about it, his friend's explanation did seem to add up. And the few times he had seen Wolfram back in the other "place", were mostly following a moment when he had personaly thought about him...

"You're imagining it, Shibuya. Your Maryoku simply spent too much time doing weird stuff and nearly getting your soul swallowed into Tartarus to join its growing pool of energy." Murata sighed, happy to see that his friend was running low on contradictions to his theory.

"So what? Are you saying that, the people which I met there, what they did there, was actually all born from some repressed feelings and thoughts of the people present in this room? Which formed a dream that nearly killed me?" Yuuri asked, still unsure, and nearly blushing at the implications that remained ignored by said people.

"Well… basically?" Murata replied hesitantly, it was indeed his theory, but the way his friend said it, could only suppose that this would lead to further troubles.

"So… Wolfram hates carrots and tomatoes?" Yuuri asked calmly: he'd gauge their reactions.

He was a bit put down when his fiancé indeed made a puking face, before quickly getting over it.

"I-If you made some for me… I'd eat the carrots… But aren't tomatoes poisonous?" Wolfram whispered, a little afraid his fiancé might take him up on the offer (you never know with Yuuri).

"Not on earth." Murata nodded, jubilating as it seemed his friend was finally seeing reason… or not, in this peculiar case, it was hard to set oneself on either reason or insanity.

"Oh… Never noticed… Err- But still, some things don't make sense!" Yuuri complained.

"Shibuya, 'making sense' does not apply to anything related to Tartarus. Don't think too much about it." The Great Sage stated with a finality that left no room for further discussion.

* * *

><p>"Was it really just that? Or is there a true story about what happened?" Yosak accused the double black sage once the others had cleared out.<p>

Gwendal managed to drag a strangely flustered Yuuri to his office, as the king most certainly had a lot of paperwork to get to. Conrad had gone to regain some dignity before his men, and possibly imagine escape routes for his king. Huber had finally decided that it was much safer to escape the castle grounds for a few days instead of asking for forgiveness, so he had gone to find his family. Wolfram, on the other hand, had gotten calm once more, and claimed that he was going to paint for a while, Greta following behind him as to make sure he didn't make too much of a mess, even if the smell was terrible.

But even as all had departed, Yosak remained behind, intent on knowing what the Sage was hiding. After all, it was part of his job to know when people didn't say everything, never mind the truth…

"As a spy, you should know, just as I do, that sometimes the truth isn't important. What _is_, however, is that which will protect those you care about." Murata explained mysteriously, forcing his head up so his glasses would catch the glare of the evening sun filtering through the windows.

"And what if the "truth" comes back to bite you?" The spy asked dubiously.

"Low chances. None whatsoever, in this case. Maybe even less than that. Besides, what I said was in the greater part, the truth." The Sage assured, giving up on trying to catch the sun's glare with his glasses, as the angle in which he would need to hold his head became more ridiculous than serious and mysterious.

"And you don't feel the slightest bit bad about not saying anything to the kid?" Yosak tried again, wishing he'd get the truth, at least for himself.

"Yosak." The Great Sage sighed, annoyed. "Didn't you find Shibuya… strange, changed perhaps? Even if he's gotten better at hiding his intent and feelings, you and I can still see beyond the act. He's just not made for secrecy, even if you trained him to withstand basic politics." He finished once he was sure the spy felt his own tiredness at pursuing this conversation.

The unexpected insight on their charge had Yosak rack his recent memory. It was true that ever since his awakening, their king had been keeping things to himself. What those things were, he did not know, he hadn't sought to know of them, because he had first thought that they were painful memories about the "Dream". Now, however, he was intrigued by the young man's subtle changes, and not so subtle awkwardness. Of course, the otherworldly Maoh had always been a bit awkward and strange by their standards, but this was different.

"I suppose… He looks determined about something, I think. And… he's been looking at us a bit differently than he did before… although that's to be expected." The spy nodded, cringing at his last statements. That their king's vision of them could have changed because of this experience was certainly a hard blow. Years ago he would have said that the kid needed this sort of knowledge, to finally see the darkness of the world and _realize_, but that was no longer the case. Upon thinking about the matter, the orange haired half demon started to _fear_ that the young monarch had somehow lost part of his innocence, for Yuuri's innocence was their greatest blessing, and it was only thanks to it that they had discovered –been forced to find- new ways to deal with problems. Peaceful ways.

"He'll get over it. It was _just a dream_ after all. If he thought any differently, however, and knowing my dear friend, he'd soon wish to find a way back to that other world. To say his goodbyes, at the very least. He might even imagine something crazy like: maybe I could visit them every once in a while, or something." Murata explained his vision of things, and suddenly light of understanding poured over the poor spy who immediately harbored a most terrified expression.

"Surely, he wouldn't-!" Yosak started, completely lost in disbelief.

"Assurance of immediate death _may_ deter him, _slightly_. But we all know that when it concerns people he's attached to, there's no stopping his claims of "there's got to be something we can do". _Everyone_ of us **know**. Even if I prove to him in every possible ways that one should _definitely not __**fiddle**_ with Tartarus, he'll be a pain about it for years to come!" The Great Sage had to say, at least this much, aloud, it lightened his mind from the last barely noticeable guilt he might have felt for not telling the whole truth to his best friend.

"It was a Dream then." Yosak agreed, taking his leave hurriedly after that.

"That it _was_ indeed."

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><p><strong>A.N.: <strong>There we go with another chapter! The end seems still so very far away. Up until now, I was following a more or less set plan for things to happen, but from now on, I'm writting the story as it comes c_ompletely_. It was a bit hard trying to explain Tartarus, and it doesn't make much sense still, but it's mostly intended (knowing everything would be boring, isn't it?), but you can probably guess a few things from how the story goes. I know you all wanted to see poor Gwendal throw a fit, but I thought I'd make it more dramatic with hurt silence. **  
><strong>

Please Comment! (I love comments)


	23. Relaxing or not!

**At your service**

**A.N.: **About the other dimension: it IS a dream, but not just. My first intend was to leave it mostly at that, but since people seemed to grow on the alternate Conrad and Gwendal, I thought I'd make it something more. It is what Murata is hiding from Yuuri: that the dream he was in probably didn't stop when he awoke, because Tartarus has the power to create worlds that do not respond to known conventions. Hence why I keep writing bits of what's happening in the "other dimension". Murata realizes this, and also that if Yuuri knew, he'd want to put things right in that other world born from dreams and memories, which could end very badly.

**Disclaimer:** do not own a thing, except my stupidly over working imagination, which lead to this fic…

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><p><strong>Chapter 23: Relaxing... not!<br>**

Yuuri woke up suddenly. Gasping and sweating, he momentarily searched the suspended dark blue curtains surrounding his bed for answers. Where? Why? …With who?

The respective answer being the disappointing royal bed, in which he was suspiciously still laying, without a foot in his face, it was the dead of the night, and just as sadly –or maybe thankfully, it was hard to guess in this case-, he was alone.

The Maoh adjusted his position in bed a bit, although he had moved very little during the night, as his fiancé usually did all the trashing and turning for them both. He then took a little thinking time, just enough to ponder why he had woken up, but then the answer came as his shifting brought forth another breathless gasp.

'Well… Shit.' The double black internally cursed, this time very glad that Wolfram wasn't around to witness… well, something that had never happened in the royal chambers before.

Decided not to indulge in this in the bed he was supposed to share with a fiery fiancé, he, instead, sought to find alternate ways. In any case, he needed to get out of bed…discreetly, for embarrassment's sake. He cursed again when an involuntary hiss rose from his own throat, as the soft satin drapes slid over his overly sensitive skin.

Damn…

He was _hard_. Subtlety be damned, he had never felt so _raw_ and strained in his entire life!

And why?

Because of a dream!

In this peculiar case, it was a double entendre too…

In the last few days since his "awakening", he had still be too strained and his maryoku too weak to even dream. But now…

Now that his power was finally back in full force, he dreamt. He dreamt a LOT. Mostly of things he would have never even dreamed of dreaming, if that made any sense.

He choked on pure shame as pictures of his most recent sleep induced imagination had made him see. He would combust in a flame of pure shame and embarrassment if Wolfram was here! There was no way he could explain his blonde fiancé how he had ended up this way, after a wet dream involving his _two brothers_. Especially since Yuuri never had such shameful dreams involving his own fiancé.

It wasn't like the king didn't know, or had never experienced a few of these dreams, but he had always found some comfort in the fact that his imaginary partner was always a beautiful, unknown female, never someone he knew, but always a girl of refined beauty. Because then, he knew the woman was non existent, and he wouldn't have problems with facing said person in reality, because she was confined to the world of dreams. It also didn't feel like cheating said person, or dirtying their image, or like he should be ashamed of it before his fiancé, as jealous as he was.

But now… he wasn't sure if he could ever look at his godfather straight in the eyes, after he had secretly imagined doing so while Conrad had his head well nestled between his legs…

Or maybe he worried too much… Because he hadn't felt such strangeness when he got back from the "Dream" -as Murata put it-, and then, his knight had done much more intimate things, and so did he.

It hadn't been unfulfilling and cold like now, either.

The sudden surge of sadness did not, however, force his shameful reaction to the dream to falter in the slightest.

Defeated, he settled for going to the baths. It wasn't rare for him to find solace there in the middle of the night, and there he didn't risk leaving "evidence".

Quickly disrobing from his black T-shirt and boxers, that now served as his bed clothes, he instead decided to wear a large, fluffy and dark blue bath robe. The new garment was much more concealing, and was far enough clothing for the short walk that would take him to his private bath in this remarkably heated night.

He evidently took a change of clothes and a bunch of towels, the double black being then only slightly disappointed to see that the whole preparation hadn't inconvenienced his embarrassing status in any manner. Worse so, the _need_ only seemed more pressing, which in turn had him nearly busting out of his room, and walking at a fast pace to the baths, hoping that the decided steps he took would keep involuntary squirming at bay, and thus keeping his condition from the ever watchful eyes of his benevolent soldiers.

By the time the doors leading to the warm waters were in sight, Yuuri felt ready to lunge into the gates of heaven. He had somehow managed to feel even more aroused by the whole "being watched" thinking, and was now certain that no amount of cold water could possibly make _it_ return to normal.

He still managed to keep some semblance of calm as he opened the doors, still afraid that the patrolling guards would emerge from one of the Castle many dark corners and wonder about their monarch's hurry. He certainly didn't feel like explaining the patrol that, no, he wasn't running away from sneaking ninjas _this time_.

He only managed a breath as his clothes hit the nearby bench, soon followed by his bathrobe. The place was pleasantly surrounded in heavy mist, and the warm bath was still filled with bubbles, probably from Wolfram or Greta, as the two seemed to love when the water became well opaque with soap.

Although he wasn't a fan of bubbles, this time his overly sensitive skin welcomed the fuzzy feeling. Yuuri may rarely indulge in intimate pleasures, as life as a busy king and sleeping with a man he didn't love beyond friendship, left little time to think about it, but went he _did_ feel aroused, his body was _extremely_ responsive. So much had been proved in "dream world", as he ended up being little more than a ragdoll when thrown into the wild pleasures of love making, or at least it's what he believed.

He let a loud, needy groan escape his lips as he let the warmth tease him with its embrace. A sound that was quickly cut short as an answering splash was heard.

"Who's there!" the Maoh immediately boomed in his best impersonation of his former terrifying side personality.

He was torn between being terrified, angry and ashamed, as he suddenly had his secret moment intruded upon.

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned his powers over water to dissipate the heavy mist, intend on revealing whoever shared his private sanctuary.

Maybe it was Cherry. The seductress always found her way into the bath at the most embarrassing times. Whenever she was officially here or not, she never missed an occasion to surprised her successor, with a taste for the few moments when both could most probably be in as little coverings as possible, for Yuuri's greatest embarrassment.

Or maybe it was Wolf. The blond hadn't been by his side when he awoke, so maybe he had decided on a midnight bath as well.

Yuuri could only think about those two, as they had (or not anymore in Cherry's case) complete free access to the Maoh's private bath. Greta also had a free pass, but she didn't really like wandering in the halls alone at night. Yuuri had also given the possibility for others to use the baths, but his offers were often met with apologetic smiles as his private areas could only be intruded upon in case of emergencies, or with the king's explicit agreement or order. The double black had given as much, but he still suspected that Wolfram, Greta and himself were still the only ones ever using the royal oversized bath.

As the fog started to clear, Yuuri silently prayed that it wouldn't be lady Cecile… And neither would it be, yet another, assassin…

Finally, the room became clear, exposing not an intruder, but two of them.

'I wish it had been Lady Cecile…' The double black cried internally as his disbelieving face matched the looks the other two were giving him.

"I- ah- _we_ didn't expect you to be using the baths at this hour, your majesty…" The first intruder finally stated.

"I… didn't know you two took me up on the offer… And it's Yuuri." the king dumbly answered, slightly wincing as the sight of Conrad and Gwendal, although both well covered with the opaque bubbly water, reminded him of _why_ he had gotten to the baths. _Why_ oh great Shinou, could he, Shibuya Yuuri, never take _one_ lonely bath that didn't involve otherworldly travels, unexpected company, or any sort of other disagreements? He didn't even know whether or not he'd actually appreciate Conrad kissing him this time...

The two brothers seemed to suddenly realize the embarrassment of such a situation. Or maybe, Yuuri thought, they feared their monarch's reprobation.

"We'll leave." Gwendal simply said as he rose from the waters, unknowingly rousing his monarch in more ways than one.

The dark general and his younger brother had discussed the recent events till late. He couldn't hide that he had used the occasion to finally have some brotherly time with Conrad. They lived in the same Castle most of the time (Conrad always followed Yuuri and Gwendal scarcely returned to his own domain), yet the eldest of Cherry's sons had had yet to find time, place and circumstances to properly talk and catch up with his brother. They were strangers who "knew each other" only for work, but not as family. Even the time in the tents had been heavy with their king's uncertain condition at hand. And today, conversation and bonding had somehow taken them to relaxing pleasantly in their monarch's bath.

Sure, the decision had been a bit… helped by the slight consumptions of… three bottles of some fine Fransechire's special brew. But the king still had given his blessings for such conduct (the bathing in his personal bath, not the drinking)… multiple times. Of course, it had always been implied between the three brothers (mostly Wolfram), that said bath would only be used if none of the three, officially free to use them at all times, weren't there. Needless to say, it had never happened. They had breeched that silent agreement with the belief that neither Wolfram, Greta or Yuuri could possibly be thinking of using the baths so late at night, especially when word was given that they all peacefully went to bed.

"It's fine, you can stay! I don't mind it-!" the Maoh babbled too quickly for him to realize his great mistake.

'Actually, I _DO_ mind! A LOT!' he internally cried, unable to go back on words spoken from his too kind nature and slow judgment. At this moment, he wasn't even absolutely sure whether he actually _did_ want them to leave… or to remain here… _for reasons_.

"We're sorry, Yu~uri. We didn't think anyone would use the bath at this hour. Could you not sleep because of Wolfram, again?" the brown haired soldier immediately inquired, his worry for his charge only growing as Yuuri was obviously squirming away from him as he went to check the young monarch for apparent reasons as to his presence here. Of course, if he had been a bit less inebriated, he would have _never_ thought of approaching his king so boldly, while naked, in the royal baths and actually expected to get a hold of the younger male.

"Huh, no. Wolf wasn't even in bed-. I… just couldn't sleep… and thought a bath could help me relax…" Yuuri explained as he backed away from a relatively drunk Conrad, afraid that his "condition" would show. And the Maoh knew for a fact that neither man was currently too drunk not to understand what he was currently experiencing, if they got the slightest inkling to it.

Although he had rarely seen Gwendal more than slightly tipsy (except maybe that _one time_ he didn't quite remember himself), he had witnessed Yosak make Conrad drink past humanly limits, until his poor knight fell unconscious and drooled on his pants. With the spy going on about some nonsense, like trying to "break the spell", or something like that. So Yuuri knew full well how far the two were gone, and it was nowhere near enough right now.

After a few moments, where Gwendal managed to convince Conrad to return to relaxing to his side of the bath, they all fell in awkward silence. The strangeness was only strengthened by how they somehow fit at equidistance from one another, and how Yuuri desperately tried to convince his hands to stay out of the water, as he was now sure he wouldn't have what he came here for, and hoped his body would finally tire from the strain… Or maybe he could discretely bring forth the mist again…

Evidently, having full view of the two reasons for his current "problem", wasn't helping. The poor monarch couldn't seem to keep his mind from wandering in strange directions at crucial times, so here was no exception.

Each glance at his General reminded him of the large, strong, warm and calloused hands that had possessively held his waist in dreamland. Each glimpse at his faithful knight, had Yuuri unconsciously lick his lips as he remembered Conrad's kissing him passionately.

Of course, he still felt terrible, not only because of Wolfram, but also because he shouldn't be so blatantly disrespectful of his two sworn guardians. He was (without meaning to) leering at the two men, it wasn't something that should be done in his opinion. He respected them, liked them- perhaps more than that-, and they were obviously worth more than simple eye candy.

Yuuri couldn't say he'd be fine, knowing if someone used the image of the two fine men for luscious reasons, so he probably shouldn't be doing it. Yet, his hips ached, his legs imperceptibly spread and his face heated significantly as unwelcome thoughts and memories flooded his mind.

Had the other world truly been just a dream? There, he had made love, felt and united himself with two loves who had been so very alike the two men now standing before him, both in mind and physique. How would his knight and General react if they had the slightest glimpse of knowledge about what had transpired between them in the midst of war? Would they be disgusted?

If what Murata said was true, then perhaps the "Dream" had shown one of his forbidden and well hidden desires. Would Conrad feel ill, at the idea that he had enjoyed being taken by his youthful counterpart? Would Gwendal once more doubt his capabilities as a ruler if he knew Yuuri had (almost) shamelessly spread his legs to his double and accepted being shared between two men, two bothers?

The prospect was just too painful to think about.

He really wished that mist would finally come back, he really wasn't doing anything to keep it from doing so… or at least… he didn't think so…

* * *

><p><strong>Earlier that night<strong> (aka: I just wanted to make Another point of view)**:**

"You think it'll stay at that?" Conrad asked the silent room, addressing as much his brother as himself.

The query surprised Gwendal enough to momentarily stop signing papers and think about the innocent question. Tartarus was still a problem (and so was Huber), but the Sage hadn't mentioned returning to it, and to tell the truth, he hoped the subject was never to come up again.

"I don't entertain the thought of going back." He finally answered before returning to signing the numerous papers.

His work had piled up quite a bit- _his king's_ work-, however the setting sun indicated that he'd soon have to resort to candles and suffer greater headaches, maybe even abandon his desk for the day. The Maoh had done a bit of work himself, but supper and other duties (such as public appearances to reassure the people of his well being) had soon claimed the young male away from his desk. At least, Yuuri had promised Gisela that he'd go to sleep early for the sake of his health, which probably meant that he'd get up even earlier than usual, and all knew that once Conrad's time was over and breakfast was finished, he was the stern General's property for the next few hours… Unless Annissina had something destructive and painful planned.

"It _was_ pretty terrible." Conrad agreed with a little sad smile, which had his older brother raise a curious eyebrow. "Thinking back on it though… I suppose there were a few good things… Fear and near death aside…" the soldier explained, hoping he wouldn't have to tell his brother more explicitly.

It did take some time for Gwendal to realize his brother was actually _confiding_ in him, and that he was referring to all the time they spent watching over their liege, without Wolfram to keep them at bay.

It _did_ happen: the time when he and his little brother had protectively held the fragile body of their monarch. One might even say _lovingly_. Then, the Maoh had been in a terrible predicament, and they were desperate to keep a foothold on their sanity by reassuring themselves that the double black was still alive.

It was true that, thinking back on their past actions toward their charge, without the weight of a possible tragic outcome, Gwendal wished he had taken more time to enjoy the feeling that would most certainly never be felt again.

"I… see what you mean…" the general answered while trying to cover a rising blush with his hand. He now abandoned all idea of filling the papers before him as his body remembered the feeling of being pressed close to the Maoh. The last time they did it was on the way back to the castle, but then they had both been too exhausted to fully realize. Plus the king had woken up ahead of them… Plus, they woke up in each other arms as their monarch had abandoned his place between them to go speak with _Yosak_, of all _people_! Fortunately, the king hadn't commented on the position he had woken up in… however that had _still_ been embarrassing.

"I had never realized you felt for him before that…" Conrad stated as offhandedly as he could.

Conrad had long realized he had feelings for his monarch, and so did many other people. What remained unknown to the others was when the king's personal knight had fully fallen for Yuuri and Yuuri alone, without his feelings for Julia thrown in the mix.

"I suppose it's because I didn't realize these myself until very late… And unlike you who always loved him, or others who seems to have fallen for him very quickly, I came to feel that way gradually… _very gradually_. But why the sudden questions? Does it bother you? I'm afraid I can't very well stop feeling the way I do, if I could, I would have done so long ago." The stern general explained, a bit embarrassed at baring himself to his younger sibling, but still feeling like he was discharging himself from a terrible weight.

"It doesn't _bother_ me, per say… I mean… Maybe a little-, yet not…" Conrad babbled, a rare sight, probably their king's influence, all in all he didn't make much sense.

Gwendal sighed tiredly. He was happy that his little brother had come to him for a talk, especially a personal, private talk that didn't involve either of their duties. However, if the younger soldier couldn't get his act together, the whole thing remained pretty useless and unproductive, and Shinou knows, Gwendal hated unproductive things!

So he went to pull his chair close to their monarch's seat, before opening one of the cabinets that sat idly at the side of his desk. Inside the cabinet were a few bottles of diverse spirits. From wines to stronger brews, the bottles sometimes managed to keep him working at his austere and lonely desk. He was glad that his small indulgence could finally be used in a more convivial setting.

The Maoh's desk was relatively cleaner than his and had much less papers sitting idly on it, so he had no problem finding space to put two long glasses and a bottle of his favorite red wine, a specialty from Franceshire that he had grown quite fond of. He silently invited his brother to sit in the king's finely carved chair. The soldier first hesitated, the fine piece of furniture not only being a miniature throne-, what's with the fine silk coverings and delicately carved armrest and back that was about Conrad's full height-, but it was also the daily receptacle of his all time desire, then realized that really, it was _just_ a chair, and no harm would come from sitting in it for a little while… Except maybe a small inane and harmless sense of superiority, but that couldn't be helped.

"So?" the demon general calmly asked as he filled the two glasses with generous amounts of wine and his brother tried to find a comfortable position to sit in.

"That thing's actually very uncomfortable, no wonder Yuuri doesn't want to stay here long." Conrad changed the subject with the subtlety of a Koala down from his favorite branch.

"_He_ usually uses another chair, I suppose it was changed back while we were gone, the maids never seem to remember _not to touch anything_. But that wasn't what I asked." Gwendal replied as he relaxed in his own seat, glass in hand and took small pleasure in witnessing his brother's disappointed expression as he realized that, not only did he not sit in Yuuri's chair, but he also lacked greatly in observation skills…

"It's just… well, it's embarrassing to say… I know it's childish, even more so as it's not my place to feel this way, but I'm disturbed by the knowledge that you may- that you might have… thought… of Yuuri… in… _specific ways_… Although, I'm hardly at a place to say…" Conrad reddened as he stumbled over the words and quickly emptied his own glass of wine right afterwards to try and calm his very unusual shyness. He so rarely discussed with his older brother, and now that he was, on a _very _personal matter no less, he felt like a little child all over again, being overly impressed by the authority held by this second fatherly figure that was Gwendal.

Of course, he long knew that Gwendal's sternness was only a poorly kept façade. And said brother was currently trying hard to swallow his instincts telling him to hug his suddenly cute brother.

The General calmed his internal turmoil with a small sip of wine, thinking about what to answer to his brother's worries.

He knew, Conrad was still young by demon's standards, and even if he knew well of the world's darker side, he remained innocently clinging to the idea that their king should be worshiped as purity itself. On the other hand, Gwendal was more pragmatic himself, and the king was a mortal same as the rest of them, and had most certainly, he thought, dabbled into sex with his youngest brother (they _did_ share the same bed for six years as fiancés). Even if he respected the Maoh, he was old enough not to feel overly flustered, or ashamed, if he used his image for… unmentionable things, especially since he was fully aware of the nature of his feelings towards the king.

"Having thoughts is… inevitable. I don't think we should feel ashamed about something as uncontrollable as this. You _do_ realize that there are many others who… entertain thoughts of _him_ in untoward ways. And _he_ probably has a few thoughts of his own. That's how it goes when you find someone you desire." The older male finally explained his point of view.

"I know, I'm just being silly… Wait, forget I said that." The soldier immediately corrected as he saw one of Gwendal's rare smiles rise on his usually stern face, it was a mocking smile too.

"Too late." The older brother teased as the two started to forget the strenuous years in which they had grown apart, forget their positions that had so long kept them from being a family, forget even their roles and usual reserved demeanors as they jabbed one another and confessed a few dirty little secrets; forgotten too, was the soft click of the study's closing door…

* * *

><p>After three bottles had rolled empty on the study's floor, Gwendal and Conrad had sought another solace, another way to continue their pleasant conversation that would not include getting hopelessly drunk until they danced naked in the courtyard, like it had happened when Gwendal had first been introduced to the evils of strong but sweet liquors. Looking back a little, the dark blue eyed demon would wonder why neither of their apartments were taken into consideration. For, obviously, when confronted with the choice of either spending the night out, to be scrutinized by the patrols, <em>or<em> being ever so slightly rebellious (though only towards their little brother, which sounded ridiculous at the time) and spend a reasonable amount of time in a warm, big and private bath, the outcome was very obviously going to end badly.

He should have known, the stern general thought. He should have realized that _something_ would happen, because something _always_ happened in Blood Pledge Castle. Although, he might not have thought of being faced to the very desirable object about which he and his brother were talking about in hushed tones.

No.

The two brothers had been relaxing at that moment, just enough for the opening door to the baths to be heard distinctively. The mist was heavy and the deep waters opaque with soap and bubbles. It was silently agreed that they were to make as little noise as possible, like two soldiers on a stealth and recognition mission, they waited, hoping to know of their enemy.

At first, Conrad reasonably thought that the maids had come to clean the bath, as the royal facilities always ended up spotlessly clean in the mornings. But when the visitor turned out to be obviously alone, the theory was forgotten.

Then there were two other possibilities: Wolfram, or Cherry. In both cases, they were screwed; in different ways, but still likely to face imminent death, be it by fire… or by coos, hugs and giggles. _Horrifying_ either way…

So, when the deep masculine _moan_ resounded in the empty echoing room as the unknown third party entered the bath, the two eldest of Cherry's sons were actually sufficiently startled (and inebriated) to give away their presence. And when the Maoh's commanding voice was heard, Gwendal wondered, for half a second, if killing himself right here, right now, to escape the embarrassment that was sure to follow, would be acceptable…

In an instant, the mist was gone, proof of their king's control over his own powers that not so long ago (for a demon) were completely independent from his will, unless his side personality was called forth. Their monarch looked completely disbelieving as his General and knight were sharing his _personal, private, royal_ bath, and he was right to be so…

"We'll leave…" the blue eyed demon had immediately proclaimed, hoping that if he left fast enough, his liege would believe he had dreamed the whole encounter, and all would be forgotten by morning.

Evidently, it could not have gone as easily as he had hoped, for the king immediately claimed that their presence did not bother him, and as such, they were more or less coerced in staying, as they couldn't very well escape from the king's open invitation.

Conrad was obviously more inebriated than him, as he enquired about the king's presence in the bath so late into the night, without the slightest pause, and even tried to make his way to the bath's other side. Gwendal was momentarily surprised to learn that Wolfram wasn't with the Maoh in the royal chambers, even though it had been weeks since the last time he had seen his fiancé, and the last time was with the menace of death over the monarch's head.

After some explanations and the restraining of his little brother, Gwendal found himself at equidistance from Conrad and his monarch. It felt… strange, especially with all the alcohol running into his bloodstream, although Conrad seemed very content with his liege to stare lovingly at- not that he wasn't doing the exact same, every single day, and had done for the past six years, whether he was drunk or sober.

However, Gwendal wasn't used to having the king plainly displayed before him and nothing to do to pass the moment. His little brother and the Maoh seemed good at silent communication and just staring at each other for sometime without a single word being uttered, but it didn't work like that for the older male. The few times he and the double black stared at one another idly, was when their opinions clashed, and they entered a battle of stares. Also, although they spent a lot of time together and in silence during the long sessions of paperwork they went through, Gwendal scarcely found time to discuss with the king or just stare blankly at his deeply focused expressions. Instead, he used small glimpses, short, secret moments like when he had to switch piles, or when he more or less purposefully reached a little too far to get the next paper on the close-by stack. It was during those times that Gwendal took the opportunity to look at his charge. Of course, there were also the few times when he felt his liege needed his help, a reprimand or a break, but those grew rarer each passing year… They also rarely traveled together, as Gwendal was often automatically given the charge over the kingdom during the Maoh's absence, and the monarch seemed to generally prefer his knight's presence over his during these times. On the other hand, the grey haired demon had to admit he hadn't shined during their first real time together on a mission, and he deeply loathed the desert ever since. Plus the place was obviously terrible if he ever wanted to elope…

Silence lasted, and Gwendal had a hard time not letting his thoughts fly. The king was so… open. His long, lithe but well sculptured arms rested over the edge of the bath, leaving a good part of his lightly tanned chest to shiver as the water there cooled. Long tendrils of pure black hair framed the Maoh's absolute perferctness. The rest of the king's body completely disappeared into soap filled waters and bubbles, and he nearly cursed Conrad for uncharacteristically letting that bottle of unknown origin and content slip his grasp and empty into the bath, resulting in the waters current opaque and bubbly condition.

On the other hand… the stern general _did_ feel glad that the result of his intent staring remained unseen, and from Conrad's progressively flushing face (which he was certain did not come from the bath's heat), he could tell that he wasn't the only one. The double black was also well flushed, but the older demon wouldn't be so brash as to make frivolous supposition about its source, he was probably dreaming it anyway: drunk as he was.

Yet, he still shortly entertained the thought of his liege reddening from pointless attempts to keep perverse bodily reactions at bay. He had to stop himself quickly however, as the thought could only lead to disappointment and a severe case of frustration…

Now… if only the mist could come back…

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.:<strong> Extra long chapter with a bit of sexual tension XD. It's been too long since I last wrote a bit of naughty stuff, although nothing really happens in this chapter apart from a free serving of blue balls for all our favorite characters.

Please, Comment! (I absolutely love all your comments, even if I can't possibly live up to all your expectations XD, I do, however take into account what you leave in your comments, not necessarily to go in their direction, I might also use them to surprise you, or both! *evil laugh*).


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